‘We’ve noted some withdrawal of forces and material along the border of Kosovo’ – US State Dept spox

« US State Department Principal Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel stated that Serbia has started to withdraw forces from Kosovo border, during a press conference in Washington DC on Wednesday.
« We’ve noted some withdrawal of forces and material along the border of Kosovo since September 29th, and we expect Serbia to continue de-escalatory steps, including continued withdrawal of forces to or below historical norms, » said Patel.
Patel also commented on Armenia’s decision to join the International Criminal Court (ICC).
« You know, we respect the right of every country to join the ICC (International Criminal Court) and have been encouraged by many states including Armenia that have undertaken commitments to promote justice, accountability for genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity, » he told reporters.
Armenia’s parliament voted on Tuesday to join the International Criminal Court, a move that strains the country’s ties with Russia after the ICC issued an arrest warrant for President Vladimir Putin.
Moreover, Patel underlined that the United States will continue to play a role in the communication between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
« What I will say though is that the United States is going to continue to play a role in engaging with Azerbaijani and Armenian leadership at the highest levels to pursue a dignified and durable peace, » commented the State Department spokesperson.
« And you’ve also seen us over the course of this past week and beyond reiterate our call for a longer term, independent, international monitoring mission in Nagorno-Karabakh to provide transparency and reassurances that the rights and securities of ethnic Armenians will be protected, » he added.
Responding to a journalist’s question about the US effort to negotiate a normalisation agreement between Israel and Saudi Arabia, Patel said that the process requires an incredible amount of work, diplomacy, discipline, rigour, and all of the stakeholders being deeply engaged. »



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