The US State Department said there was a danger that “unfounded speculation about changing the borders of the Western Balkans along ethnic lines would fuel instability in the region” and thus “evoke memories of tensions in the past”.
Unofficial diplomatic document, the so-called non-paper has been circulating among European officials for some time, proposing the partition of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the unification of Kosovo and Albania.
“The stable, prosperous future of the Western Balkans must be based on good governance, the rule of law, multiethnic democracy and respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms,” said State Department spokesperson Ned Price.
He added that Washington supports the countries of the Western Balkans on the path “towards European integration and membership in key European and Euro-Atlantic institutions”.
“We are working with the Western Balkan countries and our European partners to advance public administration, the rule of law and anti-corruption reforms – as well as to promote an independent media and vibrant civil society – which will strengthen the region’s European perspective and enhance its long-term “a goal for a whole, free and peaceful Europe,” Price said in a statement.