As part of her official visit to Washington, D.C., and marking the 18th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Kosovo and the United States of America, the President of the Republic of Kosovo, Vjosa Osmani, was received at the State Department for a meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

President Osmani expressed her deep gratitude for the invitation extended by the President of the United States, Donald Trump, for Kosovo to be a founding state of the Peace Board and to participate in its inaugural meeting. She also conveyed her appreciation for the strong guarantees President Trump gave yesterday regarding peace in our region and thanked Secretary Rubio for his leadership and cooperation in this process.

The meeting addressed issues related to the strategic partnership, ranging from regional security and diplomacy to the economy and defense. In particular, she emphasized several processes of vital importance for regional stability: strengthening the Kosovo–U.S. strategic partnership, Kosovo’s membership in NATO, the strategic importance of the U.S. military presence in Kosovo, and opening new chapters of cooperation in the fields of economy and defense.

The President thanked Secretary Rubio for the strong American support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Republic of Kosovo. In this spirit, she highlighted the historic role of the United States in Kosovo’s liberation, state-building, and consolidation of peace, as well as the special importance of the U.S. military presence and that of allies within the NATO mission, as a key factor for stability and security in the region.

She underlined that the natural path of this strategic partnership is Kosovo’s membership in NATO, a necessary process to ensure long-term peace in the region.

The President also stressed the importance of advancing the bilateral Kosovo–U.S. strategic dialogue as a mechanism for coordinating shared priorities and opening new chapters of cooperation in various fields.

Furthermore, she emphasized that the partnership between Kosovo and the United States constitutes a vital national interest and is existential for the Republic of Kosovo, highlighting strategic priorities for deepening bilateral cooperation in the areas of defense and economic development.