Kosovo opposition asks Kurti to restore US dialogue
Lawmakers from the PDK, LDK and AAK urge Pristina to bring back the strategic dialogue with Washington, while Self-Determination says cooperation with the US never stopped.
Opposition parties in the Kosovo Assembly want the strategic dialogue with the United States restored as soon as possible, and they are urging the government in Pristina to win back the trust of its American partners. Lawmakers from the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) and the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) spoke to the Albanian portal Ekonomia Online, and Gazeta Express and Radio KiM carried their statements on October 18. Self-Determination says cooperation with Washington has never stopped.
Why was the strategic dialogue suspended?
The United States suspended the planned dialogue with Kosovo indefinitely on September 12, 2025. According to Gazeta Express, Washington said in an official statement from the US Embassy in Pristina that the decision was a direct result of unilateral political moves by the Kosovo government, made without coordination. Radio KiM reports that the actions of the then caretaker government caused tension and instability.
The State Department then said that resuming the dialogue depends on conditions, one of which is that Pristina meet its obligations to Kosovo Serbs. We wrote about this on October 15, in a piece on the obligations Washington places ahead of the dialogue.
What is the opposition asking for?
Enver Hodzaj, a PDK lawmaker and former head of Kosovo diplomacy, called the restoration of the dialogue “vital” and said Kosovo must agree clear priorities and deadlines with its American partners. For the first topic, he points to NATO membership.
“NATO membership and obtaining Partnership for Peace status, as a first step, should be the main topics,” Hodzaj said.
As a second priority he named stronger American support in defense and security, including equipment, training and building up the capacity of the Kosovo Security Force. The third is work on new recognitions and membership in international organizations, and he specifically mentioned Interpol.
Ljutfi Haziri of the LDK links the suspension of the dialogue to the way the government works, and he asks it to reach consensus urgently so that the State Department can quickly resume talks. He compared Pristina’s dialogue with Washington to the one Serbia holds with the US.
“The US strategic dialogue with Kosovo has been suspended, while the dialogue with Serbia has reached a certain level of development. That is something Kosovo must not allow itself,” Haziri said.
Time Kadrijaj of the AAK also blames the government, for reckless and uncoordinated moves. She recalled that Kosovo has also faced European Union sanctions, and told Kurti that without allies the road Kosovo wants to take, toward membership in the European Union, the Council of Europe and NATO, is not paved. She is calling for a joint strategy involving the government, the president, the Foreign Ministry and the Assembly committees.
How does Self-Determination respond?
Arbaresa Krieziju, a Self-Determination MP, said that restoring the dialogue and the strategy for conducting it fall within the remit of the government and the president of Kosovo, and that she is a lawmaker who speaks only about the work of the Assembly committees.
“Despite the interruption, cooperation has continued, because all along we had mutual cooperation that advanced issues of interest to us,” Krieziju told Ekonomia Online.
She added that there is no reason for concern, that the US has been and remains Kosovo’s main ally, and that close cooperation and coordination will continue, especially now that the institutions have a full mandate.
