Why doesn’t America have an ambassador in Kosovo?

Why doesn’t America have an ambassador in Kosovo?

“The absence of the American ambassador in Kosovo is a challenge for foreign policy and relations with Serbia.”

This was stated by former diplomat Amir Ahmeti to Klankosova.tv, who adds that in the situation the country finds itself in, an American diplomatic chief in Kosovo is essential.

“It is very important that Kosovo, in the situation it is in, especially without winning a seat in the UN, is still unable to function as a normal state. In this case, the main state supporting our independence, the USA, the absence of the American ambassador to us is a challenging factor for our policy, especially in foreign policy and in relation to Serbia,” said Ahmeti.

US President Donald Trump nominated Mark Brnovich as US ambassador to Serbia in March.

According to Ahmeti, Bronovich, who is of Serbian descent, will side with his parents’ origins, in this case Serbia.

“Will we be lucky enough to have Trump send an ambassador of Albanian origin? This will be very important, but it remains to be seen. It is worrying that a candidate for ambassador has been nominated for Serbia since March, while a proposal has not yet been made for Kosovo. This is not a good sign,” Amir Ahmeti told Klankosova.tv.

On the other hand, former diplomat Blerim Canaj, on the reason why America does not have an ambassador in Kosovo, states that Kosovo is not a priority of the American administration.

In a statement to Klankosova.tv, he says that America’s focus in this geopolitical situation is on Ukraine and the Near and Middle East.

The mention of Kosovo in a message on the social network “Truth Social” by US President Donald Trump offers the possibility of appointing an ambassador, according to Canaj.

He adds that if the United States of America begins to deal with the issue of the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue, as a need to monitor the situation, there will also be the appointment of an ambassador to Kosovo.

“This could be an indication that until now, Kosovo was not among the priorities of the American administration. This is due to geopolitical changes in the world. Now we are seeing that the focus is on the situation in Ukraine, but also in the Near and Middle East. This has meant that Kosovo is currently not in the focus of the US and not only.”

“We have already noticed that Kosovo has recently started to be mentioned in American circles. I think this will lead to the appointment of an ambassador here as well as the need to monitor the situation, especially if the US starts to deal with the issue of dialogue and push it forward,” Canaj told Klankosova.tv.

Jeffrey Hovenier was the last US ambassador-at-large to Kosovo, and his mandate ended at the end of December last year, when he retired.

Currently, the Chargé d’Affaires at the US Embassy in Kosovo is Anu Prattipati, who, prior to her assignment in Kosovo, was an advisor for political and economic affairs at the US Embassy in The Hague.

Klankosova.tv asked the Embassy whether any official steps have been taken towards the appointment or confirmation of a new ambassador, but has not received a response by the time of publication of this article.

These are the American Chiefs of Mission, Chargés d’Affaires, and Ambassadors who served in Kosovo since the war:

Reno L. Harnish was appointed chief of mission of the US Office in Kosovo from August 30, 2002 to July 20, 2003. Marcie Berman Ries also served from July 20, 2003 to July 28, 2004. Philip S. Goldberg, from July 28, 2004 to July 4, 2006, and Tina Kaidanow, from July 4, 2006 to April 8, 2008.

All four served under the George Bush administration.

Kaidanow continued her stay in Kosovo, being appointed Chargé d’Affaires (Charge d’Affaires) from April 8, 2008 to July 18, 2008. She was also appointed Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary from July 18, 2008 to July 6, 2009. Kaidanow served under two administrations, that of Bush and Barack Obama.

Christopher Dell served from May 27, 2009 to August 9, 2012. Then Tracey Ann Jacobson, from April 3, 2012 to July 10, 2015.

Dell and Jacobson served under the Obama administration.

Greg Delawie served in Kosovo as the US ambassador from June 29, 2015 to September 26, 2018 and was the only one during Trump’s first term.

Philip S. Kosnett was the penultimate ambassador plenipotentiary to Kosovo, serving from September 10, 2018, to September 17, 2021. Jeff Hovenier served from November 18, 2021, to the end of 2024.

Countries where the US was not represented by an ambassador at various times

Sudan: The United States did not have an ambassador to Sudan for more than 25 years (1996–2022), due to conflict and the lack of full diplomatic relations. The ambassador was appointed in 2022.

Cuba: There has been no U.S. ambassador since 1961 due to the diplomatic rift following the Cuban Revolution. In 2015, embassies reopened, but the U.S. has yet to appoint a permanent ambassador – only a Chargé d’Affaires.

Ireland: The position of ambassador to Ireland was vacant for over 2 years (2019–2022) during the Trump administration and the beginning of the Biden administration.

Hungary: During Trump’s presidency, the US did not appoint an ambassador to Hungary for more than 18 months, until it appointed David Cornstein in 2018.

Sweden: From 2021 to 2023, Sweden did not have an ambassador to the US. The process was delayed due to a lack of confirmation in the Senate, even though candidates had been nominated.

Syria: The US has not had an ambassador in Syria since 2012, due to the civil war. Relations have deteriorated, and the embassy has been closed. /Klankosova/