Osmani on Grenell’s accusations: I don’t wish to comment, ask U.S. institutions

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani stated at a press conference that she had just returned from two important visits to the United States and Latvia, emphasizing that she did not wish to comment on the statement made by Richard Grenell, who accused her of manipulating former U.S. President Donald Trump’s remarks.

"I will not comment on statements; these are internal matters of U.S. institutions and you may ask them. I thanked President Trump for his role in preserving peace, and every citizen is engaged, and with U.S. support we are safeguarding our borders and cooperating closely. As for Trump and what I said, I invite everyone to listen to my statements from June 25 and decide whether I misinterpreted anything. His (Trump’s) remarks were made over a brief time span of a few days. I explained how I understood them as the President of Kosovo. If the U.S. position is different, you can address them directly. We appreciate Trump’s efforts, and my statement was made in that spirit. I expressed a positive assessment of Trump. I won’t comment on how others interpret my statement,” Osmani said.

She added that she does not believe Serbia will change its mind and commit to peace, and claimed that statements from 2020 suggesting Serbia had done nothing to jeopardize peace were untrue.

“They kidnapped police officers on Kosovo territory, built barricades with explosives, opened illegal roads. They committed violence against NATO soldiers, and this escalated in Banjska, where terrorists and mercenaries—paid by Serbia—were involved. They entered Kosovo territory to annex the north, and we of course stopped them. Right after Banjska, we received information about military gatherings on the Kosovo border, and I communicated with our allies to say the risk had not passed and was at the highest level since 1999,” she stated, adding that everything points to Serbia continuing its attempts to destabilize Kosovo.

The President of Kosovo emphasized that in all her meetings, it was confirmed that the U.S. sees Kosovo as a strategic partner. She said discussions included further cooperation in the field of defense, and that during her U.S. visit, it became evident that Serbia’s goal remains to destabilize the situation in Kosovo.

“At the end of May, we received new specific information about Serbia’s activities on the border with Kosovo,” said Osmani.

She said Serbia is lying when it claims it is not taking destabilizing actions and added that such statements are part of a propaganda campaign. She emphasized that the citizens of Kosovo have no reason to panic because the institutions are functioning and keeping everything under control.

“I want to thank all our allies who help us ensure security,” Osmani said, stressing that no destabilizing attack will succeed thanks to Kosovo’s institutions.

On the Constitution of the Assembly

“I have met with political leaders and the meetings continue, but it is not the role of any president to negotiate coalitions. I want to clarify that the Constitution does not allow the president to call new elections at this stage, and not all conditions have been met yet. This can only happen if the Assembly is dissolved and a government is not formed within a certain timeframe,” Osmani explained.

The President warned that there would be legal consequences if the Constitutional Court’s deadlines are not met.

“We are preparing a case for the Constitutional Court if the Assembly is not constituted over the weekend,” Osmani stated.

On the Washington Agreement

When asked about accusations from Avdullah Hoti that she is not telling the truth and was opposed to the Washington Economic Agreement, Osmani reacted sharply.

“Hoti is the most irrelevant person and I won’t waste time on him. Only Serbia accuses Kosovo of failing to implement the Washington Agreement. We have fulfilled everything—opened the Embassy in Jerusalem, and do not enter into agreements with China. I was neither president nor prime minister at that time. I am president now and I speak with Trump about it. The accusations that Kosovo has not implemented the agreement come solely from Serbia,” she said.