Trump appoints chief for Kosovo
US President Donald Trump has appointed Richard Grenell, the current US ambassador to Germany, as special presidential envoy for negotiations between Serbia and American-controlled Albanian separatists in Kosovo.
This was reported in a White House press release. The United States, as you know, is trying to get Serbia to recognize the illegally seized region of Kosovo in exchange for assistance in the economy and integration into the European Union.
Grenell must be confirmed for the new position by the Senate, writes Voice of America. According to the Washington Times, in the future he will perform both functions (ambassador in Berlin and special representative on the Kosovo issue) in parallel.
The press reported that Grennel met in Berlin last December with Hashim Thaci, the “president” of Kosovo.
Thaci allegedly promised even then that he would withdraw the decision on duties on Serbian goods. However, the blockade of the Slavic enclaves of the region has not yet been lifted.
Grenell's work as ambassador to Germany has been widely described as controversial. Immediately upon his arrival in Berlin, he was criticized for his comment that German companies should stop all work with Iran.
In March 2019, Grenell called Germany's plans for military spending within NATO insufficient, after which Wolfgang Kubicki, vice president of the opposition Free Democrats, accused him of interfering in the political affairs of a sovereign country.
According to Kubicki, the American diplomat “behaved like the chief commissar of some occupation force,” and he should know that “German tolerance has limits.”
Grenell was born on September 18, 1966, and received a bachelor's degree from Evangel University and a master's degree from Harvard University. He was the longest-serving U.S. official to the United Nations, from 2001 to 2008, according to a White House press release.
Trump Appoints Kosovo Chief