The United States Embassy in Prishtina announced on Friday that Washington has suspended, for an indefinite period, the strategic dialogue with Kosovo.
According to the statement, the decision was made due to actions by the caretaker government, which, according to the U.S., have increased tensions and instability, making cooperation on shared priorities more difficult.
“We remain committed to advancing the shared interests of the United States and the people of Kosovo. Our relationship with Kosovo is based on a common goal: strengthening peace and stability as a foundation for shared economic prosperity. Unfortunately, the actions and statements of Acting Prime Minister Kurti have presented challenges to the progress achieved over many years,” the embassy statement reads.
The strategic dialogue between the two countries was intended to strengthen economic and diplomatic ties for the benefit of both American and Kosovar citizens.
The U.S. hopes to resume this process in the future when conditions are appropriate.
Earlier in the day, Anu Prattipati, Chargé d’Affaires at the U.S. Embassy, told KOHË that Kurti’s statements at the General Council meeting of the Vetëvendosje Movement, criticizing the Constitutional Court, had increased instability and uncertainty in Kosovo.
What is strategic dialogue?
Strategic dialogue is a process the U.S. Department of State typically conducts with countries around the world to advance bilateral relations.
It involves high-level discussions between the two countries, held either in Washington or the respective country, on a wide range of topics such as defense, security, environment, energy, and economic cooperation.
According to the State Department, the U.S. has conducted strategic dialogues in recent years with countries including France, the United Kingdom, Romania, Austria, Poland, Slovenia, Moldova, Greece, North Macedonia, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain, Egypt, and others.
The U.S. also engages in strategic dialogue with organizations or movements in countries it does not consider allies, such as the Belarusian democratic movement led by Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya.
U.S. Embassy statement (verbatim):
“The United States has suspended, for an indefinite period, the planned strategic dialogue with Kosovo due to concerns regarding actions by the caretaker government, which have increased tensions and instability, limiting the United States’ ability to work productively with Kosovo on shared priorities.
We remain committed to advancing the shared interests of the United States and the people of Kosovo. Our relationship with Kosovo is based on a common goal: strengthening peace and stability as a foundation for shared economic prosperity. Unfortunately, the recent actions and statements by Acting Prime Minister Kurti have presented challenges to progress made over many years.
The strategic dialogue aimed to strengthen economic and diplomatic ties for the benefit of both the American and Kosovar people. We hope to pursue such efforts in the future when appropriate. We recognize that this is a priority goal for the people of Kosovo.”
