Frank Shkreli: President Vjosa Osmani and the Strategic Value of Continuity in U.S.–Kosovo and EU–Kosovo Relations

President Vjosa Osmani and the Strategic Value of Continuity in U.S.–Kosovo and EU–Kosovo Relations

By Frank Shkreli*

As Kosova approaches its next presidential mandate, continuity matters. President Vjosa Osmani’s re-election would serve not only Kosova’s democratic development, but also the strategic interests of the United States and the European Union. President Vjosa Osmani should be re-elected because she has given Kosova something rare in its recent political life: credibility, dignity, and clarity.

Kosovo’s relationship with the United States and the European Union has long been anchored not only in shared interests, but in shared democratic values. In this context, the re-election of President Vjosa Osmani would represent continuity, reliability, and strategic coherence at a moment of heightened uncertainty in the Western Balkans.

For U.S.- Kosova relations, Vjosa Osmani is a trusted Democratic partner. Kosova’s relationship with the United States and the European Union has long been anchored not only in shared interests, but in shared democratic values. In this context, the re-election of President Vjosa Osmani would represent continuity, reliability, and strategic coherence at a moment of heightened uncertainty in the Western Balkans. Her leadership contrasts sharply with the populism and institutional erosion seen elsewhere in the region. For Washington, President Osmani has proven to be a predictable and principled partner. She has consistently framed Kosova’s priorities in terms familiar to U.S. policymakers: constitutional order, democratic accountability, and Euro-Atlantic alignment.

Under President Osmani’s presidency, Kosova has remained firmly pro-American, without ambiguity or transactional posturing. Democratic institutions have been defended against political capture. Kosova’s standing in Washington has shifted from crisis management to institutional maturity.  Osmani’s leadership style — disciplined, constitutional, and non-provocative — reinforces Kosova’s image as a serious partner, not a source of instability requiring constant mediation. Her re-election would reassure U.S. stakeholders that Kosova remains firmly aligned with the strategic vision, the United States has supported since 1999 for the country.

For the European Union, President Osmani has embodied the standards Brussels expects but too rarely sees applied consistently across the region. She has emphasized respect for the Constitution and the separation of powers, judicial independence and the rule of law. For minority rights grounded in law, not political expediency. At a time when EU credibility in the Western Balkans is strained, Kosova under Osmani has remained constructive without surrendering sovereignty — cooperative without abandoning principles. Her presidency has helped position Kosova as a norm-compliant European democracy, despite slow and often frustrating accession dynamics.

Why Osmani’s re-election matters for the Transatlantic Community?

Re-electing President Osmani would send a clear and constructive signal to Washington and Brussels: Kosova values institutional stability over political volatility. Democratic leadership is rewarded, not sidelined. The presidency remains a constitutional anchor, not a partisan instrument. In a region increasingly exposed to external influences and democratic backsliding, leadership continuity in Kosova matters. She has consistently aligned Kosova with Euro-Atlantic democratic norms, even under internal pressures. Osmani offers stability without stagnation and firmness without escalation — precisely the balance the transatlantic community seeks in the Western Balkans.

In conclusion, President Vjosa Osmani’s re-election would not simply be a domestic political decision. Her re-eletion would be a strategic affirmation of Kosova’s continuing alignment with the United States and the European Union — and a reaffirmation of its commitment to democratic governance, the rule of law, and Euro-Atlantic values. For Kosova’s partners, continuity with Vjosa Osmani as President of Republic of Kosova means clarity, credibility, and confidence. At a time when the Western Balkans face renewed geopolitical pressure, Kosova cannot afford uncertainty at the top of its constitutional order. Osmani’s presidency has provided stability without stagnation, with firmness without provocation. For Kosova’s partners in Washington and Brussels, her re-election would represent a predictable values-based continuation — and a reaffirmation that Kosova’s democratic trajectory remains intact.

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*Frank Shkreli, a retired former Director of VOA’s European Division, is a public commentator on transatlantic relations and Balkan affairs. Shkreli writes on U.S.–Kosovo and U. S.-Albanian relations, European integration, and democratic governance in the Western Balkans. His work focuses on historical memory, institutional democratic development, media freedom and the rule of law in former communist countries.