Senatori amerikan, Dick Durbin ka thënë se propozimi i kryeministrit të Kosovës, Albin Kurti, që kampi Bondsteel të shndërrohet në një bazë të përhershme ushtarake amerikane, “duhet të shqyrtohet seriozisht”.
Ai tha se Qeveria e Kosovës “ka propozuar një marrëveshje financiare” për këtë çështje dhe se ajo nuk do të përbënte ndonjë "sakrificë të madhe parash".
Radio Free Europe has reached out to the Pentagon and the Kosovo Government for details of this proposal, but has not yet received a response.
Durbin tregoi se gjatë takimit më 12 tetor me Kurtin në Prishtinë, kryeministri i kishte shoqëruar senatorët në zyrën e tij dhe u kishte treguar një hartë të Kosovës, për t'ua paraqitur rreziqet e sigurisë në afërsi të saj.
"We want everyone to be safe and at peace, and I think KFOR's presence here has fulfilled this task well," he said.
Camp Bondsteel, located near Ferizaj, is the largest US military base in the Balkans. Kurti has repeatedly proposed that the camp become a permanent US base, linking it to long-term peace, stability and security in the region.
Ndërkohë, më 13 tetor, Ushtria amerikane njoftoi ndryshime në përbërjen e trupave të saj në Kosovë, duke zëvendësuar pjesëtarët e Gardës Kombëtare me forca nga Regjimenti i 2-të i Kalorësisë dhe Divizioni i 1-rë i Këmbësorisë.
Sipas njoftimit, ky rotacion është pjesë e përpjekjeve të NATO-s për ta përshtatur misionin e KFOR-it me përmirësimin e kushteve të sigurisë në Kosovë dhe me strategjinë e re, të njohur si “NATO 3.0”, sipas së cilës aleatët evropianë do të marrin përgjegjësinë kryesore për sigurinë.
Ushtria amerikane theksoi se mbështetja e saj për KFOR-in do të vazhdojë pa ndërprerje, por nuk saktësoi nëse ndryshimet do të ndikojnë në numrin e ushtarëve amerikanë në Kosovë.
Ndërkaq, senatorët demokratë, Jeanne Shaheen dhe Dick Durbin, po qëndrojnë në Kosovë - ku u takuan me presidenten Justina Shiroka Pula, kryeministrin Albin Kurti dhe përfaqësues të Listës Serbe - gjatë një vizite në Ballkanin Perëndimor.
The visit followed their stops in Sarajevo and Tirana, where they discussed security, stability, and U.S. relations with countries in the region.
Duke folur për presidenten e re të Kosovës, senatori Durbin tha se ajo ka përpara detyrën e vështirë "për ta bashkuar vendin dhe për ta çuar atë përpara".
"The process she faced before the final decision was made required determination and courage. She has a big task to unite the country and move it forward. But I think the strength she showed during this process will give her more credibility in Kosovo and around the world," he said.
Kosovo-US relations
During the interview, the senators also spoke about relations between Kosovo and the United States, including the absence of a US ambassador in Pristina and the suspension of the Strategic Dialogue between the two countries.
Shaheen said it would be great for the Strategic Dialogue to resume, but cited changes in the US administration and the State Department as challenges.
She said that senators have been pressuring the US administration to appoint more ambassadors and provide diplomatic representation on the ground.
The US suspended the Strategic Dialogue with Kosovo on September 12, 2025. At the time, Washington expressed concerns about the actions of the then-incumbent government towards Serbian institutions in Kosovo and its criticism of the Constitutional Court, saying they had increased tensions and limited the opportunity for cooperation on shared priorities.
In July of this year, the US State Department told REL that the resumption of dialogue depends on the creation of the necessary conditions, including the fulfillment of Kosovo's commitments to the Serbs.
During their stay in Kosovo, Shaheen and Durbin also met with representatives of the Serbian List, the largest Serb party in Kosovo, at the US Embassy in Pristina.
According to a statement from this party, chairman Zlatan Elek and the head of the parliamentary group, Igor Simić, expressed to the senators their concerns about the rights and security of Serbs in Kosovo.
They highlighted, among other things, the non-implementation of agreements reached in the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue, especially on the establishment of the Association of Serb-majority Municipalities and the representation of Serbs in institutions.
Whereas, a day earlier, Kurti had asked, among other things, senators for support for Kosovo's membership in NATO.
During the interview with RTK, the senators expressed support for the continuation of the security partnership with Kosovo and its Euro-Atlantic aspirations.
Asked about the possibility of Kosovo one day becoming a member of NATO, Shaheen said she hopes the country will progress towards this goal.
Both senators described the relationship between Kosovo and the US as a strong partnership and said they want it to continue and deepen.
Specialized Rooms
Asked about the legal changes that the Kosovo Assembly approved regarding the Specialist Chambers in The Hague, the senators avoided specific comments on the amendments.
Shaheen mentioned the possibility of appealing the decision and said he hopes the process continues peacefully, with an outcome that Kosovo citizens can understand.
Durbin agreed that they should be careful when commenting on court matters. He said that the solution should come through legally established mechanisms and peacefully.
Kuvendi i Kosovës i miratoi ndryshimet në ligjin për Dhomat e Specializuara më 8 tetor. Bashkimi Evropian shprehu shqetësim për këtë veprim, duke e lidhur atë me detyrimet ndërkombëtare të Kosovës. /REL