U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Philip Gordon said Wednesday that Serbia and the United States (U.S.) had improved their bilateral relations and that they shared the same vision of Serbia in the European Union (EU).

He also noted that the bar had been set high for EU membership but that the doors were not closed for Serbia. The Union has become bigger and more careful with every new member, and certain members experience the enlargement fatigue. However, I do not think that that the doors have been shut on Serbia.

The U.S. believes they should not be closed, Gordon said in an interview for the Radio and Television of Serbia (RTS). According to him, the U.S. does not think the conditions for accession have either changed or should change. There is also the request for a full cooperation in the prosecution of war crimes, Gordon pointed out. It is true that the arrest of Ratko Mladic was a significant step ahead, but the fact that the remaining Hague Tribunal indictee, Goran Hadzic, is still on the run, keeps the issue open, he said.

The U.S. shares the view with a significant number of EU countries, the U.S. assistant secretary said, adding that Serbia, for its part, should resolve the Kosovo issue as well. The Union cannot accept a new member if they have not resolved relationship or borderline issues with their "neighboring country," Gordon said.

When the RTS journalist noted that Serbia did not recognize Kosovo as a "neighboring country" and asked him if the recognition of independence would be a major condition for Serbia to join the EU, the U.S.

Department of State official said that the EU would decide independently whether a formal diplomatic recognition of Kosovo was a condition for joining the Union.