Pristina, Kosovo - 22 January 2020

1. Various of US special envoy Richard Grenell being greeted by Kosovo President Hashim Thaci

2. Various of Grenell and Thaci meeting

3. SOUNDBITE (English) Richard Grenell, Ambassador of the United States of America to Germany:

"First of all, (US) President (Donald) Trump has been singularly focused on trying to solve this problem, by not looking backwards, by not just having the same old political stalemate and arguments. We want to make progress in this region, in Kosovo, in Serbia on the economic front. Young people need jobs, this is the mantra of the Trump administration."

4. Cutaway US and Kosovo flags

5. SOUNDBITE (English) Richard Grenell, Ambassador of the United States of America to Germany:

"What I am trying to do is just look at all of the issues that have been stuck on the table that have economic impact and we are just going to a wrestle them through. We are going to push both the government and the leaders in Kosovo and Serbia to say 'look at the people, start moving forward with jobs'. The business community in the United States, the business community in Europe would like to come in to this region in a bigger way."

6. Cutaway US flag

7. SOUNDBITE (English) Hashim Thaci, Kosovo President:

"It is a great day for us, for Kosovo, for people of Kosovo. Thank you very much for what you do for us with the new agreement that you achieved, it was a historical agreement, and thank you personally, thanks to President Trump. I believe that under the leadership of President Trump we can achieve more and more, peace, stability and a final agreement between Kosovo and Serbia. It will contribute a lot for peace, stability and cooperation in the Western Balkans. Your role is crucial and that again I believe under the leadership of President Trump we can achieve things."

8. Wide of meeting

US President Donald Trump's special envoy for talks between Balkan rivals Serbia and Kosovo on Wednesday was in Kosovo in an effort to urge both countries to resume negotiations and reach a final reconciliation agreement.

Richard Grenell, also the US Ambassador to Germany, told Kosovo's President Hashim Thaci that Washington wanted to make "progress" in the region.

Grenell was appointed by Trump as the special envoy for Kosovo and Serbia in October last year.

The European Union-mediated dialogue between the two countries, which started in 2011, stalled in November 2018 after the Kosovan government set a 100% tariff on Serbia's goods and services.

Belgrade has said no dialogue without Kosovo first lifting or suspending the tariff.

"We're going to push both the government and the leaders in Kosovo and Serbia to say 'look at the people, start moving forward with jobs'," said Grenell speaking in the capital Pristina before dinner with Thaci.

More than three months after a snap parliamentary election Kosovo has yet to create a new government with the two winning political parties still disagreeing who is to get the posts of the country's president and parliament speaker.

Grenell said he was not going to get involved in the political debate which he considered as "looking backwards."

Thaci said the US involvement in peace negotiations had been "crucial", adding "I believe under the leadership of President Trump we can achieve things."