President Donald Trump of the United States extended his congratulations to Kosovo’s President Vjosa Osmani on the nation’s 17th Independence Day, as announced by the Kosovo Presidency yesterday.

In a press release, the Kosovo Presidency shared that Trump expressed “his congratulations to the people of Kosovo on their journey towards independence, highlighting the resilience and commitment that characterized this process.”

Today, citizens of Kosovo will celebrate their independence, which was proclaimed in 2008 with support from the United States.

Trump’s message, according to the Kosovo Presidency, conveyed that “the bonds between our nations are robust and we anticipate expanding them, especially through enhanced investment opportunities aimed at fostering greater prosperity for both countries.”

His message emphasized that the United States is dedicated to collaborating with Kosovo to strengthen its democratic institutions and to promote economic development within a stable and equitable business climate.

Earlier this month, Osmani mentioned that under the new Trump administration, Kosovo aims to enhance cooperation in defense and strategic investments.

In February, Osmani engaged in various meetings with US officials and Congress members in Washington and met with Vice President J.D. Wesna on February 11 during the World Summit on Artificial Intelligence in Paris, alongside US senators and Congress members at the Munich Security Conference.

Trump noted in his letter that the United States looks forward to establishing more productive relationships with the Kosovo Government this year.

Kosovo anticipates a new government following parliamentary elections on February 9, where Prime Minister Albin Kurti’s ruling party was unable to secure the needed majority of 61 MPs for an independent government.

This letter from Trump follows criticism from his special envoy for missions, Richard Grenell, directed at Kurti’s administration on February 3, indicating that the US needs dependable partners in the Balkans, which Kurti’s government is not considered to be.

The Kurti administration did not respond to Radio Free Europe’s request regarding Grenell’s remarks; however, Kurti told a Kosovo media outlet that relations with the US have reached their peak, prompting Grenell to retort that they have never been lower.

Kurti also faced criticism from Biden’s prior administration concerning several actions taken in northern Kosovo, predominantly inhabited by Serbs, which included swapping Serbian license plates for Kosovo ones, discontinuing the use of the Serbian dinar, and closing Serbian institutions.

Kurti defended these actions as strides toward enhancing the rule of law in the north, asserting their compliance with Kosovo’s Constitution and laws.

Notably, Trump did not address the dialogue regarding the normalization of relations between Kosovo and Serbia in his congratulatory letter to Osmani.

Similarly, he did not mention the dialogue in his congratulatory message to Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić for Serbia’s Statehood Day last week.

Since 2011, Kosovo and Serbia have been engaged in dialogue in Brussels, mediated by the European Union, resulting in several agreements, though not all have been implemented.

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