After his visit to the U.S. Department of Defense, Minister Ejup Maqedonci announced that discussions had taken place regarding the realization of a framework agreement in the field of defense.
Maqedonci was welcomed on Tuesday at the U.S. Department of Defense by the Assistant Secretary of Defense for NATO and Europe, Alton Buland.
“Mr. Buland and I specifically discussed the achievements within the Comprehensive Transition Plan for the Kosovo Security Force (KSF), the path ahead during the third and final phase of this plan, and the realization of a framework agreement between our countries in the field of defense,” Maqedonci wrote on Facebook.
“Along with General Jashari, we also discussed with Mr. Buland the future plans for KSF deployments alongside U.S. troops in international missions to be carried out this year, as well as other plans and ideas.”
The Ministry of Defense highlighted in its statement that the framework agreement in the field of defense “will open new opportunities in the field of security and defense.”
The statement also provided additional information.
“General Jashari discussed the numerous bilateral military activities between the two forces as well as specific plans for cooperation and joint deployments with the Iowa National Guard. Another important discussion was the next steps for finalizing the 10-year transition plan,” the statement reads. “On the other hand, Mr. Buland emphasized the importance of the partnership between the two countries and offered the Department of Defense’s support for moving forward toward achieving strategic objectives.”
According to the statement, both sides agreed that the bilateral cooperation is at a high level and has concrete steps for further development in serving the security interests of both countries.
Before this meeting, the Kosovo delegation had a session at the Atlantic Council, where they were hosted by Jörn Fleck, Senior Director at the think tank, along with his colleagues. The discussions focused on global security, terrorist attacks in the north, the security situation in Kosovo, and the influence of the Russia-Serbia cooperation in destabilizing the region.
The statement mentioned that Minister Maqedonci confirmed Kosovo’s institutional commitment to NATO and EU integration, as well as the further deepening of cooperation between Kosovo and the U.S. in the fields of defense and security.
