The Chargé d’Affaires at the U.S. Embassy in Pristina, Anu Pratipatti, in her meeting today with acting Prime Minister Albin Kurti, expressed concern about tendencies that, according to her, aim to prevent Serbian parties from participating in the local elections on October 12.

In a statement after the meeting, Pratipatti said it is extremely important that local Serbs are included in the electoral process. She added that she is concerned about any attempt that could limit their ability to vote in the local elections on October 12, reports KosovaPress.

Pratipatti stated: “I raised our concerns with the acting Prime Minister regarding actions that we understand the acting Prime Minister and Vetëvendosje are considering to exclude some political parties from participating in the upcoming local elections. To be clear, we believe that all citizens of Kosovo should have the full opportunity to elect their chosen representatives. It is extremely important that Kosovo Serbs are included in this process, and we are concerned about any effort that would limit their choice. I emphasized these points today with the acting Prime Minister and highlighted the United States’ attention to this issue.”