“Smear tactics against private citizens, like those used against Edward Joseph, have no place in democratic societies,“ the US State Department’s Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs said.
Sharing the photo of US professor Edward Joseph and the US envoy for the Western Balkans, Gabriel Escobar, they said that they value those who are building a peaceful society in the Western Balkans.
“Independent voices and civil society organizations promote accountability and transparency. We value those building a peaceful society in the Western Balkans,” the US Bureau tweeted, commenting on Joseph’s allegations, who at the end of the year denied the claims of the Serbian president that he „receives a lot of money in cash from Albanians“ for lobbying.
Smear tactics against private citizens, like those used against @edwardpjoseph, have no place in democratic societies. Independent voices and civil society organizations promote accountability and transparency. We value those building a peaceful society in the Western Balkans. https://t.co/uJpm7xTZII pic.twitter.com/9D6r2HxfdS
— DoS Europe and Eurasia (@StateEUR) January 9, 2023
Vucic described him as a „famous Albanian agent“.
„He reports a little and gets a lot more in cash. An ordinary scoundrel in Washington. He gets a lot of Albanian cash,“ said Vucic.
Edward Joseph reacted in a series of posts on Twitter.
“For the record, this allegation is completely false. Aleksandar Vucic has no proof to back up his serious charges because such a relationship does not and has never existed. My views are the product of a dozen years on the ground – in all Balkans conflicts, including the war years.”
Joseph said that his policy advocacy on Kosovo puts the welfare of Kosovo Serbs – not the ‘compensation’ of Belgrade – at the center.
“Kosovo’s limbo status benefits Belgrade, not the Kosovo Serb community or Serbian patrimony in Kosovo, which are both crucial to preserve for regional stability,” he tweeted.
He assessed that resorting to “a personal attack” on a critic suggests there is basis to the criticism.
„‘Nepristojan’ is a polite Serbian word for Vucic’s petulant behavior,” he concluded.
Preuzimanje i objavljivanje tekstova sa portala KoSSev nije dozvoljeno bez navođenja izvora. Hvala na poštovanju etike novinarske profesije.
