US Embassy expects Kosovo to fulfill commitments to Serbs; opposition points to government responsibility

The United States expects appropriate conditions to be created for the resumption of the Strategic Dialogue with Kosovo, including Pristina fulfilling its commitments to Kosovo Serbs, a spokesperson for the US Embassy in Pristina told Kosovo Press.

Neither the Kosovo Government nor the newly elected President has announced what steps they intend to take to unblock the Strategic Dialogue with the United States, while opposition representatives are calling for concrete measures to restart the process.

In a written response to Kosovo Press, a spokesperson for the US Embassy in Pristina said that Washington remained committed to advancing shared interests, but stressed that appropriate conditions concerning the Serbian community in Kosovo needed to be created before discussions on resuming the Strategic Dialogue could begin.

“The United States indefinitely suspended the US-Kosovo Strategic Dialogue in September 2025 due to concerns about actions taken by the then caretaker government. We remain committed to advancing the shared interests of the United States and the people of Kosovo. We look forward to conducting a Strategic Dialogue with Kosovo when the appropriate conditions are in place, including the fulfillment of Kosovo’s commitments with respect to Kosovo Serbs,” the US Embassy said in its written response.

Representatives of opposition parties stressed that responsibility for unblocking the Strategic Dialogue with the United States rested with the Kosovo Government, which should demonstrate concrete results and take steps to resume the process. They regard the President’s role in this regard as “supplementary.”

Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) MP Lutfi Haziri said that the Kosovo Government needed to demonstrate tangible results in order to unblock the process. According to him, Kosovo President Justina Shiroka Pulja could play a role, but the primary responsibility lay with the government and the steps it takes.

State Department mechanisms are clear

“The President can play a certain role, but the Strategic Dialogue with the United States is and remains a problem of the Government because of the way the Government chose to act. This temporary suspension requires the Government to demonstrate tangible results in order for the process to be unblocked. Secretary Rubio and the State Department mechanisms are very clear, and the unblocking and normalization of relations in order to achieve this objective must truly be guaranteed by the Government. The President can play a role, as can others, but the Government was the source of the problem and it must enable the process to be unblocked,” Haziri said.

Alliance MP Burim Ramadani also said that resuming the Strategic Dialogue with the United States was essential. He emphasized the need for a more comprehensive institutional approach, with the direct involvement of the Government.

“It is essential that the Strategic Dialogue with the United States be restored and actually begin, because in reality it was never even launched. At the same time, this requires a much more comprehensive institutional approach, above all involving the Government. I do not see a concrete and decisive role for the President in this case because this is fundamentally and directly linked to the Government’s conduct and actions,” Ramadani said.

The Strategic Dialogue between Kosovo and the United States is intended to deepen bilateral cooperation in a range of areas, including the economy and trade, defense and security, energy, infrastructure, technology and cybersecurity.

The mechanism is aimed at strengthening diplomatic relations and coordination on issues important to peace and stability in the region.

It was suspended indefinitely in September 2025 because of US concerns over the actions of the then caretaker government led by Albin Kurti.

Kosovo Online has also examined the conditions for resuming the Kosovo-US Strategic Dialogue in a recent analysis.