Bedri Hamza, the Mayor of Mitrovica and the Democratic Party of Kosovo’s candidate for Prime Minister, is currently visiting the United States.
Hamza has announced that he met with Michael Carpenter, the Special Assistant to President Joe Biden and Senior Director for Europe at the National Security Council (NSC), as well as Kathleen Larkin, the Director for the Balkans and Central Europe at the NSC.
According to Hamza, the message he received was clear, stating that the US stands by Kosovo and supports its independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity.
“I started my visit to the US with a meeting with Special Assistant to President Biden, Ambassador Michael Carpenter, who is also the Senior Director for Europe at the National Security Council (NSC), and with Director for the Balkans and Central Europe, Ms. Kathleen Larkin. The message I received was clear: the US stands by us and supports Kosovo’s independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity,” he wrote.
Hamza also mentioned that during the discussion, they agreed that now is the time for progress in consolidating Kosovo towards recognition by the five EU member states that have yet to recognize Kosovo’s independence, securing a path for Kosovo’s membership in the Partnership for Peace, and eventually in NATO and the EU.
“These are the strategic goals we discussed in detail. I briefly presented my vision and plan for Kosovo to move forward more rapidly towards economic development, increasing public sector wages, capital investments, and enhancing the well-being of our citizens.
To achieve these goals, partnership with the US is of vital importance and, for both Kosovo and myself, indispensable,” Hamza added.
