Washington, November 26, 2018 – The President of the Republic of Kosovo, Hashim Thaçi, on the first day of his official visit to the United States of America met with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, with whom he talked about bilateral, regional and broader issues.
President Thaçi has thanked Secretary Pompeo for the support of the Trump administration for Kosovo and for the historic support the American people have given to the people of Kosovo.
“I have expressed the highest consideration on my behalf and on behalf of the people of Kosovo, for everything that the USA has done for the freedom of our people and for peace in the region. We will be grateful eternally”, said President Thaçi after the meeting.
At this meeting there has also been discussed about the new mandate of the KSF, as a multiethnic force and about regional cooperation and the Euro-Atlantic perspective of Kosovo.
President Thaçi has also thanked Secretary Pompeo for the support he has given to the transformation process of the KSF into an armed force.
“Kosovo, as a sovereign state, has the sovereign right and the obligation to increase its security capabilities. Now is the time to turn from consumers into contributors to peace and stability in the region and beyond”, he added.
President Thaçi and Secretary Pompeo also talked about the last phase of the dialogue on the normalization of relations between Kosovo and Serbia.
“The USA supports Kosovo for reaching a comprehensive agreement with Serbia, which paves the way for mutual recognition and the membership of Kosovo into NATO, the EU and the UN”, said President Thaçi.
The US support, according to President Thaci, is decisive for reaching this agreement and creating greater consensus inside and outside Kosovo.
“It was a joint conclusion that if we do not use this historical momentum, we risk to enter a dangerous cycle not only as Kosovo but also as a region. Therefore, the only way to conclude the Balkans issue once and for all is to reach a final agreement between Kosovo and Serbia”, said President Thaçi.
On the other hand, the US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, has emphasized that the United States will continue to support Kosovo, with particular emphasis on reaching a comprehensive and legally binding agreement between Kosovo and Serbia.
President Thaçi will continue to have numerous meetings with representatives of various institutions in Washington.