About 15 countries have withdrawn recognition of Kosovo as a state because of Serbia's pressure

 Alon Ben-Meir in an interview with VOA

 New York University professor Alon Ben-Meir said Serbia must accept the fact that Kosovo is independent, and also Kosovo should abolish the tax on Serbian goods.

Meir, a researcher at the Center for Global Affairs in New York, told VOA that Serbia must reach a simple, basic conclusion: "Kosovo is a fact of life, it is an independent country."

“Nearly 100 countries have recognized it. About 15 countries have withdrawn recognition because of pressure from Serbia. Serbia must end this campaign. On the other hand, Kosovo should abolish the 100 percent tariff on Serbian imports. The resumption of flights with the support of the United States is a good start. This is the perspective that Kosovo must-have," Meir said.

He also said that both sides should take these steps, recognizing reality.

“They are neighbors with each other, they have to take and give to each other. They must admit that there are some realities on the ground that they cannot change. And when they get to that point, especially Serbia, I think there will be progress," Meir said.

Meir has also spoken about the fact that Kosovo is experiencing a political stalemate, as there is no agreement for the government yet.

“I think it's a bad thing. The people voted for what they wanted, for a clean government that would do things differently. And three or four months have passed and there is no government yet. It is simply unacceptable. They have to decide what to do. And the discussions between the two parties are not about politics either, it's more about personality issues and this is unfortunate. They should set aside personal disputes. I think that the people of Kosovo want to see an end to this stalemate because they want to continue their lives, they want a functioning government, a clean government and it is the right of the citizens to ask for it and if they don't achieve that, they have to announce new elections,” Meir said.

Alon Ben-Meir said he thinks it is important for the United States to continue its commitment.

"I do not want to underestimate what the EU is doing, it should even do more than the United States, but US efforts are important. They see America as the greatest power and are closer to it than to Europe. America should continue to play this role to advance its interests, as well as the relations between the United States and the Balkans as a whole from a security perspective."