The November 3 elections in the United States are being followed with interest in Kosovo as well, where the role of America is considered irreplaceable for the current developments but also for its future.
Former President of Kosovo, Atifete Jahjaga, in an interview with VOA says that the country is following this election process with a higher degree of interest, as Kosovo aims to continue and strengthen the alliance and partnership with the United States.
"And also the election process in America is followed with a little more interest because of the foreign policy which comes from an administration that came out of the election. On the other hand, when we see these great powers like China and Russia which are rising through their economic and political influence but also the destructive approach to other countries and the arrogant tendencies they have towards those fragile democracies, more and more are coming to the surface the needs for a stronger America, to have a more united US that works with others in order to promote those democratic values and to eradicate populism and authoritarianism," she said.
President Jahjaga says it is important for Kosovo and the Western Balkans to be part of the US foreign policy agenda.
The Deputy Chairman of the Democratic Party of Kosovo, Enver Hoxhaj, also a member of the country's parliament, says that the role of the United States is essential not only for Kosovo but also for the entire region.
"I think that the United States of America in relation to Kosovo since the 90s when Kosovo was presented as an issue, from our civil resistance, from the Kosovo Liberation Army war until today has had a policy in relation to Kosovo and there has been a common partisan approach of both parties, both Democrats and Republicans, to the freedom, and state-building of Kosovo to date. And since the United States of America has had a common policy and approach in relation to Kosovo, I think that for Kosovo it is politically right, in the strategic plane it is very necessary for us to see America from Pristina in this way", says Mr. Hoxhaj.
The chairwoman of the Alternative party, who is part of the parliamentary group of the Vetëvendosje movement in the Kosovo parliament, Mimoza Kusari Lila, says that Kosovo has historically been and will remain connected to the United States, which according to her this has determined the positive future of Kosovo.
"This time it is a different specificity because this time for four years in the White House he was a non-traditional president, not according to what we and the whole world was used to seeing, therefore the result of the presidential election in America and the future of that election will be determined by how the Americans will vote on November 3 but also by what reflection there will be on one side which is already considered quite dramatic in Kosovo for the fact that we have engaged President Trump's delegate in the Kosovo - Serbia dialogue", said Mrs. Kusari Lila.
Naim Rashiti, who heads the Balkan Policy Group, says the US election is a global issue and determines the weight of dynamics and developments for the next four years.
It is a proverb that says "if democracy falls in Spain, just Spain will lose, but if democracy falls in the US, all the world will die", so the globe is with eyes and concentration on the November 3 elections, Europe in particular, where during President Trump did not have as good relations with the US. So the competition will be very fierce between an unconventional policy, politics/business that President Trump has brought and a continuation of traditional politics or an attempt to preserve traditional politics," said Mr. Rashiti.
Kosovo continues to be among the countries that count on bipartisan support in the United States. In the 2016 elections, the current president of Kosovo, Hashim Thaçi, had declared support for the Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton, who lost that election by the current American president, Donald Trump. This then provoked reactions in Kosovo.
In this year's American elections, the chairman of the Vetëvendosje movement, Albin Kurti, through a video message called on the Albanians of America to support Joe Biden, arguing that, as he said, he is a friend of the Albanians and will have a positive impact on both sides of the Atlantic. This is also the only open call of a politician in Kosovo to vote for an American presidential candidate.
Ms. Kusari Lila says that American policy has always been over partisan for Kosovo, but according to her it is already a little different for the fact that as she says, President Trump's policy is more unpredictable.
"And now what seems normal is that there is an uncertainty about what the future of the reports will be in terms of who will be president, it means if we have President Trump, we have the continuation of a process except that it started on September 4 at the White House, while if it is President Biden, his camp has already declared that there will be a little more balance in the positive sense for Kosovo in the future of the Kosovo-Serbia process", said Mrs. Kusari Lila.
Enver Hoxhaj meanwhile says that it is wrong for someone in Kosovo to side in favor of one or the other candidate.
"It would be unimaginable to support Kosovo without George Bush's famous Christmas warning that if (Slobodan) Milosevic intervenes militarily in Kosovo, America will also intervene militarily in relation to Serbia, or Bill Clinton's support for Kosovo's freedom, or the great support of the new George Bush, of Condoleezza Rice, which sometimes in Kosovo does not have the right assessment because I myself was part of the negotiations in Vienna or even the support we had from President (Barack) Obama as well as the approach of right and proper of President Trump. The measuring parameter here is the famous letter of President Trump to President Thaçi and Vucic. In December 2018, the result of the dialogue should be mutual recognition. "The Europeans have not said it yet, the Americans were super clear, as well as the last agreement which came as a result of the commitment of the United States of America", said Mr. Hoxhaj.
Both American presidential candidates have left their mark on the Kosovo process.
A road connecting the municipality of Gjilan with Ferizaj near the American camp "Bondsteel" bears the name of the late son of Mr. Biden as a sign of respect for his work in Kosovo. Meanwhile, the name of President Donald Trump is proposed to be given to Lake Ujman in northern Kosovo, as a sign of respect for the possibility of reaching an agreement on September 4 in the White House on the normalization of economic relations between Kosovo and Serbia.
Analyst Naim Rashiti says the two US candidates have different approaches to how to solve challenges in the region.
"If President Trump wins, he will surely continue at his own pace, perhaps in an even more aggressive way, which we will also see soon on the way to Belgrade-Lake Ujman and Pristina for to close this issue and another elite which will run back to transatlantic relations, the recovery of transatlantic relations which have not necessarily been damaged only by one side of the usa, has had and still has defects in europe in this relationship", says Mr. Rashitaj.
The bust of Senator Bob Dole, the statue of President Bill Clinton and a boulevard named after him, the street named after President George Bush, the bust of former Secretary of State Madeline Albright are some of the signs that show the gratitude of the people of Kosovo for the role of the United States that in Kosovo is considered irreplaceable for freedom and independence but also it's future.
"With these recent actions in relation to the region, it is proven once again that Kosovo and the Western Balkans are on the agenda of the foreign policy priorities of the United States of America and that it has proven that stability in the region is necessary and necessary as a process that will pave the way for further democratic development, building good neighborly relations and economic development, and we have had this partnership and expect a stronger partnership no matter which candidate wins the presidential election." president Jahjaga.