US special envoy for the Western Balkans, Matthew Palmer, told the Voice of America that regional countries are in a good position to respond to the coronavirus pandemic thanks in great part to US aid.
“The countries of the Western Balkans are in a position to strongly respond to the coronavirus threat, thanks in large part of the efforts invested by the US in helping them develop their institutional capacities,” he said and recalled that his country invested billions of Dollars in aid in the region. He said that 500 million Dollars will be required for the immediate needs of the Western Balkan countries.
Asked about aid from China and Russia, Palmer said that this is not a competition. “If China and Russia are helping Serbia and other countries in the Western Balkans, that’s great,” he said and recalled that the EU is providing even more aid and the US is sending aid directly to individual countries and through international institutions. He said that the US can provide significant amounts of aid to its partners across the world, including the Western Balkans despite the pandemic situation at home.
According to Palmer, the aid goes both ways. “The US has done a lot to help the countries of the Western Balkans respond to COVID-19 and the Western Balkans has helped the US. The countries of the region have been generous in allowing Americans to return home from those countries often without charging for expenses. Serbia has done that, Montenegro and Albania and we are grateful for that partnership and show of solidarity,” he said.
Palmer expressed concern over restrictions on human rights imposed during the pandemic. He said that it’s important for governments to take carefully considered decision about the extent to which they can affect rights and liberties in dealing with the crisis. The measures have to be proportional and can be lifted as soon as the pandemic ends, he said and expressed the hope that the measures will be short-term. Asked about Belgrade-Pristina relations in the current situation, Palmer said that their cooperation is encouraging. “I think that cooperation between Serbia and Kosovo on the coronavirus is truly encouraging. That is a rare piece of good news in this situation,” he said. “It’s encouraging to see Serbia and Kosovo find points in common to cooperate to get past this current threat,” he added.
