The President of the United States of America (USA), Donald Trump, congratulated the President of Kosovo, Vjosa Osmani, on the 17th anniversary of the country's independence, the Presidency of Kosovo announced yesterday.
The Kosovo Presidency stated in a press release that in his message, Trump "congratulated the people of Kosovo on their path to independence, emphasizing the steadfastness and determination that accompanied this process."
Kosovo citizens will today mark the anniversary of independence, which Pristina declared in 2008 with the help of the United States.
Trump's letter, according to the Kosovo Presidency, states that "the ties between our peoples are strong and we look forward to expanding them, particularly through increased investment opportunities, with the aim of bringing greater prosperity to both our countries."
The United States will continue to work with Kosovo to strengthen democratic institutions and promote economic growth through a stable and fair business environment, Trump's message said.
In early February, Osmani stated that with the new US administration of President Donald Trump, Kosovo intends to deepen cooperation in the field of defense and strategic investments.
Osmani held a series of meetings with US officials and congressmen in Washington in early February, and met with US Vice President J.D. Wesna on February 11 at the World Summit on Artificial Intelligence in Paris, as well as with delegations of US senators and congressmen this weekend on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference.
In his letter, Trump said that the United States looks forward to building more productive relationships with the Government of Kosovo this year.
Kosovo is expecting a new government after the parliamentary elections on February 9, in which Prime Minister Albin Kurti's ruling party won, but failed to secure the necessary majority of 61 MPs to form a government on its own.
Trump's letter followed criticism directed at Prime Minister Kurti's government by his special envoy for missions, Richard Grenell, on February 3, when he said that the United States needed reliable partners in the Balkans, and that Kurti's government did not.
Kurti's cabinet did not respond to a request from Radio Free Europe regarding these comments, but, speaking to a media outlet in Kosovo, he reiterated that relations with the US are at their best - to which Grenell responded again, saying that they have actually never been at a lower level.
Kurti also faced criticism from the previous US administration led by Joseph Biden, due to several actions taken in northern Kosovo, populated mostly by Serbs, which included replacing Serbian license plates with Kosovo ones, removing the Serbian dinar from use, or closing Serbian institutions.
Kurti justified the moves as steps towards expanding the rule of law in the north and said they were in line with the Constitution and laws of Kosovo.
Meanwhile, Trump did not mention the dialogue on the normalization of relations between Kosovo and Serbia in his congratulatory message to Osmani.
Trump did not mention the dialogue in his congratulatory message to Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić on the occasion of Serbia's Statehood Day last week.
Kosovo and Serbia have been conducting dialogue in Brussels – with the mediation of the European Union – since 2011, and have reached a number of agreements, but not all of them have been implemented.
Bonus video:
