Kosovo–United States relations
Kosovar–American relations are foreign relations between Kosovo[a] and the United States. The United States officially recognized the Republic of Kosovo[a] as a country, which declared independence from Serbia on February 17, 2008, the next day.[1] U.S. President George W. Bush on February 19, 2008 stated that recognizing Kosovo as an independent nation would "bring peace to a region scarred by war".[2]
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History
The US established full diplomatic relations at Ambassador level with the Republic of Kosovo.[3] Kosovo considers the United States its greatest partner in gaining recognition from the rest of the world, and such view is also expressed from United States Officials.
The United States and Kosovo established diplomatic relations on February 18, 2008. The bilateral ties the United States shares with Kosovo are maintained through the U.S. Embassy in Pristina, which was opened on April 8, 2008 by then-Chargé d'Affaires ad interim Tina Kaidanow. Prior to the declaration of independence, the United States maintained U.S. Office Pristina (USOP), with a chief of mission. The US also continues to contribute troops to the Kosovo Force (KFOR), and will be providing staff to the ICO and EULEX missions.
During the European Commission-hosted international Donors' Conference on July 11, 2008 the United States pledged $400 million for 2008–2009 to support, among many other things, helping relieve debt Kosovo may inherit. U.S. assistance in Kosovo continues to support governance through strengthening civil society and political processes, especially targeting minority communities, and aims to strengthen economic institutions and help private enterprise grow.
Kosovo has named certain places in Pristina after U.S. leaders such as Bill Clinton Ave and George W. Bush Street.[4][5][6]
According to the 2012 U.S. Global Leadership Report, 87% of Kosovars approve of U.S. leadership, the highest rating for any survey in Europe.[7] According to a 2016 report by Gallup, Kosovo led the region and the world again in approval for the second consecutive year, with 85% approving of U.S. leadership.[8] According to a recent report by Gallup of U.S. Leadership on Trump's term, Kosovo led the region and the world again in approving of U.S leadership with 75% approval.[9]
US have donated the money and built one of the largest film studio in Europe, located in the suburbs of Pristina.[10]
U.S. embassy
The fifth and current United States Ambassador to Kosovo is Philip Scott Kosnett.
Kosovo embassy
Vlora Çitaku is the current ambassador from Kosovo to the U.S. The Embassy of the Republic of Kosovo in the United States is located in Washington DC.
See also
- Kosovan emigrants to the United States
- List of ambassadors of Kosovo to the United States
Notes
a. | ^ Kosovo is the subject of a territorial dispute between the Republic of Kosovo and the Republic of Serbia. The Republic of Kosovo unilaterally declared independence on 17 February 2008, but Serbia continues to claim it as part of its own sovereign territory. The two governments began to normalise relations in 2013, as part of the 2013 Brussels Agreement. Kosovo is currently recognized as an independent state by 97 out of the 193 United Nations member states. In total, 112 UN member states recognized Kosovo at some point, of which 15 later withdrew their recognition. |
References
- U.S. recognizes independent Kosovo
- U.S., Britain, France back Kosovo
- "US Embassy Pristina". Retrieved 2008-04-17.
- "Albanian Street Named After George W. Bush :: Balkan Insight". www.balkaninsight.com. 2007-06-08. Retrieved 2017-01-23.
- "Kosovo shops celebrate Hillary Clinton and her style". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 2017-01-23.
- "Word On The Street Is That Kosovo Has A Love Affair With Americans". RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty. Retrieved 2017-01-23.
- and in the world U.S. Global Leadership Project Report - 2012 Gallup
- U.S. Gallup Report - 2016 Gallup
- Kosovo Leads World in Cheering for Trump, Poll Shows
- Mitrović-Marić, Jasmina (2009). "Mladi i Kosovo". Danica. Vuk. Vuk's Foundation: 173–177.