Counselor of the Department Derek Chollet will travel to the United Arab Emirates, North Macedonia, Kosovo, and Serbia from January 8-13.

Counselor Chollet will first travel to the United Arab Emirates, January 8-10, as part of an interagency delegation to participate in the first meeting of the Negev Forum Working Groups, where he will co-chair the Regional Security Working Group and hold consultations with representatives from the Governments of Bahrain, Egypt, Israel, Morocco, and the United Arab Emirates.  Discussions will focus on advancing initiatives to encourage regional integration and cooperation.

On the sidelines of these multilateral meetings, he will hold bilateral engagements with key Emirati officials on the latest regional and global developments, including regarding the Russian war on Ukraine, Libya, and Iran, among others.

Counselor Chollet will then travel to North Macedonia, Kosovo, and Serbia, January 11-13.  This latter portion of Counselor Chollet’s travels aims to underscore the enduring U.S. commitment to peace, stability, and prosperity in the Western Balkans.

On January 11, Counselor Chollet will travel to Skopje, North Macedonia with a separate interagency delegation, where he will meet with government leaders for discussions across a range of issues, including energy, the economy, and the fight against corruption.  Counselor Chollet will continue to Pristina, Kosovo, to meet with government officials, other political leaders, and civil society to discuss U.S. efforts to help advance Kosovo’s and Euro-Atlantic integration, including through the EU-facilitated Dialogue to achieve a comprehensive agreement on normalization of relations between Kosovo and Serbia, centered on mutual recognition.

On January 12, Counselor Chollet will continue to Belgrade, Serbia, where he will discuss energy security, regional economic integration, and progress towards Serbia’s goal of EU accession with Serbian government leadership.  He will also discuss Serbia’s role in strengthening regional peace and security and its continued engagement with the EU-facilitated Dialogue to normalize relations with Kosovo.