Osmani meets with Rubio: We discussed strengthening our alliance

2026-02-20 22:34:53, Kosova & Bota CNA

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani met with US top diplomat Marco Rubio at the US State Department.

Osmani said that he discussed with the US Secretary of State the possibilities of strengthening "our alliance as well as concrete steps in this direction that are of vital importance for our people."

"In particular, I thanked him for Kosovo's inclusion in the Peace Board, for the decisive American support for Kosovo's sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as for the American military presence in Kosovo as a key presence for peace and stability in the region. We discussed the great importance of Kosovo's membership in NATO, as well as the opening of new chapters of cooperation in the economy and defense, as part of our strategic partnership," Osmani said in a Facebook post.

The meeting at the State Department took place on the 18th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

Kosovo declared independence on February 17, 2008, and the United States was among the first countries to recognize it.

Pristina considers the alliance with the US, a country that has contributed to Kosovo's independence and state-building, to be essential.

The US also provides security in Kosovo, as it has nearly 600 peacekeeping troops as part of the NATO mission in Kosovo, KFOR.

According to a separate announcement issued by the Kosovo Presidency, the US military presence in Kosovo is of "strategic importance".

A day earlier, the Pentagon told Radio Free Europe that there is no change to the deployment of American forces, after it was reported that the US is asking NATO to reduce its foreign activity, including that in the peacekeeping mission in Kosovo, KFOR.

Osmani considered NATO membership as "a process of vital importance for stability in the region."

She also called for the opening of new chapters of cooperation in the field of defense.

In recent years, Kosovo - which is in the process of transforming its Security Force into an army - has intensified its defense purchases.

The weapons that Kosovo has recently purchased come mainly from the US, Turkey, Germany and other countries that are part of NATO, the Western military alliance that Kosovo aims to one day join.

Also, at the meeting at the State Department, according to the Kosovo Presidency, Osmani also talked with Rubio about the bilateral Strategic Dialogue.

According to her, it is important to advance this dialogue as a "mechanism for coordinating common priorities and opening new chapters of cooperation in various fields."

In September last year, the US announced that it was suspending the planned Strategic Dialogue with Kosovo, citing actions by the Albin Kurti-led government and citing increased tensions and instability.

Otherwise, President Osmani has been in the US for two days, where on February 19 she participated in the inaugural meeting of the Peace Board - the initiative of US President Donald Trump, to end conflicts in the world.

Kosovo is a founding member of this board, whose establishment was foreseen in Trump's 20-point plan for peace in Gaza.

Kosovo has pledged to assist with military troops through this board./REL