Why did the US decide to suspend the launch of the strategic dialogue with Kosovo?

The consequences for Kosovo due to the actions of the incumbent government were warned on Friday morning, when Prattipati expressed official Washington's disappointment with Kurti's stance. A few hours after the warning, the US Embassy publicly announced the suspension of the strategic dialogue with Kosovo.

Incumbent Prime Minister Kurti and officials from his party, including LVV vice-chairman Glauk Konjufca, have criticized the Constitutional Court for bias, saying it is close to Albanian parties that were in opposition in the previous mandate.

"Between our mandate that is not ending and the new mandate that is not beginning, honorable delegates of the General Council of the VETËVENDOSJE! Movement, we know that there is the Constitutional Court, which is functioning as a political shadow of the opposition to VETËVENDOSJE!," Kurti said at the meeting of the LVV General Council on September 7. He said this after the Constitutional Court imposed a temporary measure, through which it prohibited the elected members of the Assembly from taking any action until September 30, and also prohibited them from carrying out any procedure in function of forming the new Government.

The Constitutional Court imposed this measure ex officio and based on the request of the Serbian List MPs. The Constitutional Court and the international community have condemned the pressure of Kurti and his party's exponents on the country's highest court.

The Constitutional Court complaint of the Serbian List, the largest party of Kosovo Serbs and which has the support of official Belgrade, was addressed after the new Speaker of the Assembly, Dimal Basha, put the candidates for deputy speakers of the Assembly from the ranks of the non-Serb and Serbian minority communities to a separate vote.

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The Serbian List, which has 9 out of 10 seats reserved for Serbs in the Assembly, has insisted on proposing only the name of MP Slavko Simić for the position of deputy speaker, even after he failed to receive the necessary 61 votes after the three permitted rounds of voting.

After this, Basha decided to use the option of drawing names by lot, according to the Rules of Procedure of the Assembly. In addition to all the deputies of the Serbian List, for the position of Serbian deputy speaker was also proposed deputy Nenad Rašić, from the party "For Freedom, Justice and Survival", who is also a minister in the Kurti government. But Rašić did not receive the necessary votes either.

Basha has unilaterally declared the constitution of the Assembly complete, despite the failure to elect a fifth deputy speaker. Kurti's party has also made unsuccessful attempts to ban the Serbian List from participating in both the February parliamentary elections and the October 12 local elections.

Shortly before the vote at the Central Election Commission (CEC), Prattipati expressed concern about any effort that would limit Serbian parties' participation in local elections.

And in a statement published on Friday on the social network Facebook, the US Embassy in Kosovo announced that the actions of the Government of the acting Prime Minister, Albin Kurti, have "increased tensions and instability, limiting the ability of the United States 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 shared goal: strengthening peace and stability as a foundation for mutual economic prosperity. Unfortunately, recent actions and statements by Acting Prime Minister Kurti have presented challenges to the progress made over many years," the statement said.

This announcement was made shortly after the chargé d'affaires at the US Embassy, ​​Anu Pratippati, in a response to KOHĪN, expressed disappointment with Kurti's statements, made at the meeting of the General Council of the Vetëvendosje Movement (LVV), in which he criticized the justice institutions.

"We are disappointed by the recent actions and statements of the acting Prime Minister Kurti, which have increased instability and insecurity in Kosovo. These actions undermine the political process, weaken Kosovo's institutions and exacerbate interethnic tensions. We are carefully considering our response, but let me be clear, any action that weakens political and economic stability is a serious challenge to our partnership", emphasized Prattippati in response to KOHĖNA.

The incumbent government has rejected American criticism, describing the executive's actions as "legal and constitutional."

"We are always grateful for the contribution and commitment of the United States of America to our country and I thank them for their support and assistance to the state of Kosovo and our people in so many areas. We also welcome criticism. Whenever it is concrete, we try our best to improve and correct our steps and actions," said Përparim Kryeziu, who is the acting Government Spokesperson.

And President Vjosa Osmani has expressed "deep regret and concern" over the US decision to suspend the planned strategic dialogue.

Kosovo and the US were expected to finalize the strategic dialogue agreement this year, after President Osmani announced in January that the two countries had reached an agreement.

“Unfortunately, the recent actions and statements of the acting Prime Minister Kurti have presented challenges to the progress achieved over the years,” Osmani said, without explaining what statements and actions he was referring to. “We remain committed to advancing the common interests shared by 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.”

Following the announcement of the suspension of the planned US-Kosovo strategic dialogue, the leaders of the three largest opposition parties held meetings at the US Embassy.

Initially, it was reported that the presence of the leader of the Democratic League (LDK), Lumir Abdixhiku, was present, but KOHA has learned that representatives of other parties were also present at the meeting at the American Embassy. Ekonomia Online has reported that the meetings with American representatives, starting at 15:00, were held by the leader of the Democratic Party (PDK), Memli Krasniqi, the leader of the LDK, Abdixhiku, and the leader of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK), Ramush Haradinaj.

Harsh reactions to the American decision

In her reaction to the announcement of the American decision, President Osmani said that Kosovo was built on the foundations of unbreakable friendship with the United States of America.

"This relationship is not only diplomatic, but it is an existential part of our state and national identity," she emphasized. "The issue of alliance with the US is a strategic issue that requires political unity and commitment from everyone in Kosovo. The citizens of Kosovo know that their freedom became a reality with the decisive help of the US and that without this historic friendship we would never have reached where we are today."

Osmani emphasized that the strategic dialogue, reached in January 2025, is an extremely valuable mechanism of cooperation between the two countries.

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"In this spirit, the Presidency of the Republic of Kosovo will make maximum efforts and with great dedication to ensure that this dialogue resumes as soon as possible, because our partnership with the United States is not only a guarantee for the present, but also the safest compass towards the future," she said.

In addition to Osmani, concerns about the US decision have also been expressed by parties that were in opposition during the previous mandate.

The PDK has said that with this decision, Kosovo is sliding in a dangerous direction.

“The Democratic Party of Kosovo has received with great concern the decision of the United States of America to indefinitely suspend the strategic dialogue with Kosovo, a process that was intended to strengthen our economic, political, diplomatic and defense relations,” a PDK statement said. “This is the greatest political, diplomatic and strategic damage that has been caused to the Republic of Kosovo in the 25 years of its independence, directly affecting relations with our main ally and questioning the international credibility of our state.”

This party has also called for the unification of "all pro-Western political forces" to give Kosovo "a responsible government."

Lumir Abdixhiku, chairman of the LDK, has assessed the suspension of the planned strategic dialogue as "the lowest point in Kosovo's relations with our strategic and existential ally; as an independent and sovereign state."

"The destroyers of the state, the historical blockers, the violators of the Constitution, laws and human moral norms, have chosen to build their journey on the permanent crisis, on the inexhaustible fear and on the disaster of the Republic," Abdixhiku wrote on Facebook, while calling for "everyone to unite; to put an end to this political madness and to build the state that we have always deserved - before it is too late for everyone."

And the leader of AAK, Ramush Haradinaj, has invited all political forces and Kosovo society to reflect on the situation.

"Kosovo is going through the darkest days in its history. It has been a long time since I and the Alliance have raised our concerns about the irresponsible and destructive behavior of Kurti and his government. Today we find ourselves in a situation that could not have been imagined for Kosovo," he wrote on Facebook.

Concerns have also been expressed by civil society organizations.

The Group for Political and Legal Studies (GLSP) has called on the incumbent government "to stop all inflammatory actions and rhetoric that could cause further damage."

"The suspension of this strategic dialogue before it has even begun constitutes a serious, unnecessary and completely avoidable blow to relations between the two countries. Given the historic and irreplaceable role of the US in the liberation, independence and development of our country, this announcement constitutes a risk to the long-term security and well-being of the Republic of Kosovo," GLPS said.

The Pristina Institute for Political Studies (PIPS) assessed the US decision as a signal that unilateral actions and confrontational approaches endanger the future of Kosovo.

Ehat Miftaraj, who is the executive director of the Kosovo Law Institute (KLI), has criticized acting Prime Minister Kurti and President Osmani, accusing them of "leading the country towards the abyss."

And the American Chamber of Commerce (AACC) has assessed that the suspension of the American strategic initiative constitutes a step backward for Kosovo's economic and diplomatic aspirations and has called on the Government to change its approach.

What is strategic dialogue?

Strategic dialogue is a process that the US Department of State (DASH) conducts in most cases with various countries around the world, with the aim of advancing bilateral relations.

This process involves high-level discussions between the two countries, which take place either in Washington or in the respective country, on a wide range of topics, including defense, security, environment, energy, economic cooperation, and others.

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Based on information from the State Department, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty has confirmed that the United States has in recent years developed strategic dialogues with France, the United Kingdom, Romania, Austria, Poland, Slovenia, Moldova, Greece, North Macedonia, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain, Egypt, and other countries. In the region, only North Macedonia has entered into such a strategic dialogue with the United States. The first meeting within its framework was held on June 2, 2022 in Washington and was chaired by former Foreign Minister of North Macedonia, Bujar Osmani, and US Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs, Karen Donfried.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced on August 6 that the United States and Serbia will launch a joint strategic dialogue by the end of this year. The US engages in strategic dialogue not only with states, but also with organizations or movements in countries that it does not consider allies, such as the Belarusian Democratic Movement, led by opposition figure Svietlana Tsikhanovskaya.