Visit to Kosovo/ US Congressmen Self and Subramanyam meet with Kurti and Haxhiu. Main topic, NATO membership

Kosovo's membership in NATO and security in the region were the key topics of the meetings between Kosovo's heads of state and the delegation from the US Congress.

US congressmen, Republican Keith Self and Democrat Suhas Subramanyam, held separate meetings with the acting president of Kosovo, Albulena Haxhiu, and the acting prime minister, Albin Kurti.

For Kosovo, NATO membership is a matter of long-term security, regional peace, and its place "among democratic states."

This was stated by the acting president, Albulena Haxhiu, after meeting with the delegation from the US Congress.

According to the Presidency, Haxhiu thanked Self for the support provided for Kosovo's path towards NATO and for the attention paid to the rights of Albanians in the Presevo Valley.

She said that Kosovo remains committed to deepening the partnership with the United States in security, defense, economy, diplomacy, and Euro-Atlantic integration.

"For Kosovo, friendship with the United States is both institutional and personal. Our people remember who stood by us in the most defining moments of our modern history," Haxhiu said, according to a media release.

Meanwhile, the acting Prime Minister, Albin Kurti, said that he discussed peace and security in the region with the American delegation.

According to a statement issued by the Prime Minister's Office, Kurti thanked the delegation for their support for Kosovo's membership in NATO, but also for a resolution in the House of Representatives calling for American forces to continue contributing to the alliance's peacekeeping mission in Kosovo, KFOR.

Speaking about the visit of American congressmen to the Presevo Valley, Kurti said that "there should be comparable rights for minorities in all Western Balkan countries."

Self and Subramanyam also met with the acting Deputy Prime Minister, Glauk Konjufca, during their stay in Kosovo. The day before, they also held meetings with former President Vjosa Osmani, and the leader of the Democratic League of Kosovo, Lumir Abdixhiku.

The congressmen's visit comes after in April, Self, along with Congressmen Ritchie Torres and Mike Lawler, proposed a resolution aimed at pushing forward Kosovo's path toward the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

This resolution, which enjoys bipartisan support in the United States, states that "Kosovo's democratic governance, civilian oversight of security forces, and multiethnic coexistence constitute a compelling argument for NATO membership."

Also, three American congressmen submitted a resolution in April, which calls for the United States to continue participating in KFOR.

Kosovo aims to join the Western military alliance, but has not yet made an official application for membership, while non-recognition by four NATO countries (Greece, Romania, Slovakia and Spain) is considered an obstacle to membership in the alliance.

The country is currently in the process of transforming the Security Force into an army, a process that is expected to last until 2028.

Admission to NATO requires unanimous support, which is why the resolution presented by congressmen asks Washington to urge these four member countries to recognize the state of Kosovo.

Self and Subramanyam arrived in Kosovo on the afternoon of May 26, after staying in the Presevo Valley where they met with various Albanian officials in southern Serbia.

Self said that after learning about the real problems between Albanians and Serbia, the visit to Kosovo is being conducted to "learn about the Serbian minority there."

“So we are visiting both countries to understand how minorities are treated and what their rights are,” Self told reporters in the Presevo Valley.

Before staying in the Presevo Valley – a term used for the three municipalities in southern Serbia, Presevo, Medvedja and Bujanovac, where Albanians live – the congressmen held meetings in Bosnia and Herzegovina./ REL

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