Kosovo–United States relations: Difference between revisions

In May 2009, then Vice President Biden visited Kosovo and was greeted by large crowds.<ref name="Chun9194"/> He affirmed the US position that Kosovan "independence is irreversible".<ref name="Chun9194">{{harvnb|Chun|2011|pp=91, 94.}}</ref> The Obama administration remained committed to Kosovo.<ref name="Chun94"/> In August 2016, Vice President Joe Biden, visited Kosovo and attended a ceremony that renamed a southeastern highway "Joseph R. 'Beau' Biden, III" to honour his son [[Beau Biden|Beau's]] contribution to Kosovo for training its judges and prosecutors.<ref name="Bezhan"/><ref name="Bytyci"/><ref name="RuViDeBi">{{cite news|last1=Rucker|first1=Philip|last2=Viser|first2=Matt|last3=DeBonis|first3=Mike|title=Trump and allies resume attacks on Biden's son as the Democrat surges|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-and-allies-resume-attacks-on-bidens-son-as-the-democrat-surges/2020/03/05/cad7fa02-5eed-11ea-b29b-9db42f7803a7_story.html|agencywork=The Washington Post|date=6 March 2020|access-date=24 October 2020|df=dmy-all}}</ref> The US has a large military base in Kosovo named [[Camp Bondsteel]], and it forms part of its defence strategy for the region.<ref name="Chun94"/>

Kosovo has named certain places in [[Pristina]] after U.S. leaders such as Bill Clinton Boulevard and George W. Bush Street.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/article/albanian-street-named-after-george-w-bush|title=Albanian Street Named After George W. Bush :: |work=Balkan Insight|website=www.balkaninsight.com|access-date=2017-01-2322 August 2023|date=8 June 2007-06-08}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2016/02/kosovo-shops-celebrate-hillary-clinton-style-160229110654079.html|title=Kosovo shops celebrate Hillary Clinton and her style|website=www.aljazeera.comAl Jazeera|first=Valerie|last=Plesch|date=1 March 2016|access-date=2017-01-2322 August 2023}}</ref><ref name="Bezhan"/><ref name="Chun94"/> Around Pristina, other streets are named after former military commanders involved in the NATO campaign, honouring their role to conflict between local Albanians and the Yugoslav army.<ref name="Bezhan"/> The capital also has a women's clothing shop named ''Hillary'', after [[Hillary Clinton]] and atop on some large buildings and hotels architectural features replicating US monuments and symbols like the [[Statue of Liberty]] or the [[bald eagle]].<ref name="Bezhan"/> In Kosovo, [[Bill Clinton]] is considered an iconic figure and hero.<ref name="Chun94"/><ref name="Bezhan">{{cite news|last=Bezhan|first=Frud|title=Word On The Street Is That Kosovo Has A Love Affair With Americans|url=https://www.rferl.org/a/kosovo-love-affair-americans-biden-clinton-bush/27928807.html|agency=Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty|date=17 August 2016|access-date=24 October 2020|df=dmy-all}}</ref> Many US flags are flown throughout Kosovo from buildings.<ref name="Chun94"/> The US donated funds and built one of the largest film studios in Europe, located in the suburbs of Pristina.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Mitrović-Marić|first=Jasmina|date=2009|title=Mladi i Kosovo|journal=Danica|publisher=Vuk|volume=Vuk's Foundation|pages=173–177}}</ref>

Widespread sentiments of gratitude are held by people in Kosovo to the US for playing a major role in ending Serb control of the area.<ref name="Chun94"/><ref name="Bytyci">{{cite news|last=Bytyci|first=Fatos|title='We owe you so much,' Kosovo to tell Biden as street named after late son|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-kosovo-biden-street-idUSKCN10Q17X|work=Reuters|date=15 August 2016|access-date=24 October 2020|df=dmy-all}}</ref> These sentiments increased, including support toward the US, especially after it recognised Kosovan independence.<ref name="Chun94"/> The Kosovo population also support the US engagement with the Balkans, which is viewed as anti-Serbian.<ref name="Chun94"/> After the Kosovo War, the US remains popular among the Kosovo Albanian population.<ref name="Chun94">{{cite journal|last=Chun|first=Kwang-Ho|title=Kosovo: A New European Nation-State?|url=http://s-space.snu.ac.kr/bitstream/10371/96517/1/5.Kosovo-A-New-European-Nation-State_Kwang-ho-Chun.pdf|journal=Journal of International and Area Studies|volume=18|issue=1|year=2011|pages=94}}</ref> According to the 2012 U.S. Global Leadership Report, 87% of [[Kosovo|Kosovars]] approve of U.S. leadership, the highest rating for any survey in [[Europe]].<ref>and in the world [http://www.gallup.com/file/poll/161309/US_Global_Leadership_Report_03-13_mh2.pdf U.S. Global Leadership Project Report - 2012] ''[[Gallup (company)|Gallup]]''</ref> According to a 2016 report by Gallup, Kosovo led the region and the world again in approval for the second consecutive year, with 85% approving of U.S. leadership.<ref>[http://www.gallup.com/poll/191855/russians-approval-leadership-drops-record.aspx U.S. Gallup Report - 2016] ''[[Gallup (company)|Gallup]]''</ref> According to a recent report by Gallup of U.S. Leadership on Trump's term, Kosovo led the region and the world again in approving of U.S leadership with 75% approval.<ref>[{{cite web|url=http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/article/kosovo-shows-highest-support-for-us-leadership-in-europe-poll-01-18-2018 |title=Kosovo Leads World in Cheering for Trump, Poll Shows]|work=Balkan Insight|first=Maja|last=Zivanovic|date=18 January 2018|access-date=21 August 2023}}</ref>

File:Medlin Olbrajt (Madeleine Albright) Square in Prishtinë, Kosovo.jpg|Medlin Olbrajt Square in Prishtinë, Kosovo named in honor of [[Madeleine Albright]]

[[File:President Trump Participates in a Signing Ceremony (50305615147).jpg|thumb|280px|[[Aleksandar Vučić]], [[President of Serbia]] (left), [[Donald Trump]], [[President of the United States]] (middle), and [[Avdullah Hoti]], [[Prime Minister of Kosovo]] (right), signing the [[Kosovo and Serbia economic normalization agreements|2020 Kosovo–SerbiaKosovo and Serbia economic agreementagreements]] in the [[White House]], September 2020.]]

On October 4, 2019, U.S. President [[Donald Trump]] appointed [[Richard Grenell]] as the Special Presidential Envoy for [[Belgrade–Pristina negotiations|Serbia and Kosovo Peace Negotiations]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Bayer |first=Lili |url=https://www.politico.eu/article/trump-names-ric-grenell-his-special-envoy-for-serbia-and-kosovo/ |title=Trump names Ric Grenell his special envoy for Serbia and Kosovo – POLITICO |work=Politico|date=4 October 2019 |publisher=Politico.eu |access-date=September 4, 2020}}</ref> After months of diplomatic talks, on January 20, 2020, Serbia and Kosovo agreed to restore flights between Belgrade and Pristina for the first time in over 20 years.<ref name=flight1>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/20/world/europe/serbia-kosovo-flights-resume.html|title=Serbia-Kosovo Flights to Resume Under U.S.-Brokered Deal|date=2020-01-20|work=The New York Times|language=en}}</ref><ref name=flight2>{{cite news|url=https://www.euronews.com/2020/01/21/kosovo-serbia-flights-to-restart-after-two-decades-thecube|title=Kosovo-Serbia flights to restart after two decades|date=2020-01-25|publisher=Euronews|language=en}}</ref>

On September 4, 2020, the [[President of Serbia]], [[Aleksandar Vučić]], and the [[Prime Minister of Kosovo]], [[Avdullah Hoti]], [[Kosovo and Serbia Economiceconomic Normalizationnormalization agreements (2020)|signed an agreement]] on the [[Diplomatic relationship|normalisation]] of economic relations between Serbia and Kosovo at the [[White House]].<ref>{{cite web |last= Riechmann |first= Deb|url= https://apnews.com/3b7aca39c6829655d43de30f68497ed1 |title= Serbia, Kosovo normalize economic ties, gesture to Israel|publisher= Associated Press |date=4 September 2020|access-date=4 September 2020}}</ref> The deal will encompass freer transit, including by rail and road, while both parties agreed to work with the [[Export–Import Bank of the United States]] and the [[U.S. International Development Finance Corporation]] and to join the [[Mini Schengen Zone]], but the agreement also included the mutual recognition [[Israel–Kosovo relations|between Israel and Kosovo]].<ref>{{cite news|url= https://europeanwesternbalkans.com/2020/09/04/documents-signed-at-the-white-house-cover-wider-scope-than-expected/|title= Documents signed at the White House cover wider scope than expected|date=September 4, 2020|work=[[European Western Balkans]]|access-date=September 5, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-kosovo-serbia-agreement/2020/09/04/b1283f8c-eec0-11ea-99a1-71343d03bc29_story.html|title=Serbia and Kosovo sign breakthrough economic accord that is short of normal relations|last1=Gearan|first1=Anne |date=September 4, 2020|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=September 4, 2020}}</ref>

The sixth and current [[United States Ambassador to Kosovo]] is [[Jeff Hovenier|Jeffrey Hovenier]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://regnum.ru/news/3472254.html | title=Новый посол США в Косово приступил к исполнению полномочий }}</ref>

[[VloraIlir Çitaku]]Dugolli is the current ambassador from Kosovo to the U.S. The [[Embassy of Kosovo, Washington, D.C.|Embassy of the Republic of Kosovo in the United States]] is located in [[Washington, D.C.|Washington DC]]. There also exist two Consulates of Kosovo within the U.S. located in [[New York City|New York City, NY]] and [[Des Moines, IA]].

*{{c|KosovanYugoslav emigrants to the United States}}