Democrats have taken control of both chambers of the US Congress following the midterm elections held on November 3, 2026. The change is expected to bring a new dynamic to Washington and affect relations between Congress and the US administration.
Kosovo is watching developments closely, as US support has played an important role in its path to freedom, independence and the consolidation of statehood. The shift in the majority nevertheless raises the question of how ties with Washington should adapt and how support from both parties can be maintained.
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Albanian-American activist Ramazan Bekteshi told “Bota sot” that the election result should not, in itself, be taken as a sign that US policy toward Kosovo will change. In his view, relations should rest on shared strategic interests, not ties to a single administration, party or politician, including Grenell.
Bekteshi notes that support for Kosovo has traditionally been bipartisan in the United States. He says Democratic and Republican administrations, Congress and other US institutions have made a decisive contribution to Kosovo’s path to freedom, independence and the consolidation of statehood. The change in the majority in both chambers should therefore be used to broaden communication with representatives of both parties, not to change the country’s foreign policy orientation.
He says Kosovo needs a more active, professional diplomacy grounded in its institutions. Communication with the US administration, Congress, the Senate, foreign affairs and security committees, and organizations working on transatlantic relations should be ongoing, not begin only when a political or diplomatic crisis arises. Bekteshi also stresses the need for a long-term lobbying strategy tied to shared interests.
Alongside state institutions, he sees a role in this effort for Kosovo’s traditional friends in Congress, the Albanian-American community, foreign policy experts, universities and academic circles. Support for the partnership should be made on the basis of issues of strategic interest: regional security, stability in the Western Balkans, NATO, countering destabilizing influence from rival powers, the rule of law and economic development.
Bekteshi adds that calls for US support should be matched by responsibility on Kosovo’s part, including coordination with allies and stronger democratic institutions.
He warns that political divisions within Kosovo must not damage relations with Washington. On matters of national strategy, he says, consensus is needed, and friendship with America should not be presented as belonging to any one party. The national interest, he emphasizes, must come before political rivalries.
One priority Bekteshi highlights is the resumption of the Strategic Dialogue between Kosovo and the United States. He sees it as an institutional mechanism for turning the partnership into concrete, long-term cooperation. The suspension of the dialogue in 2025, he says, was a serious diplomatic signal that must be addressed responsibly and realistically.
Kosovo’s government expressed its readiness to resume the dialogue in September 2026, proposing an agenda covering security, energy, investment and the rule of law. Bekteshi stresses that the process should not be reduced to a protocol gesture or a photo opportunity; it should have clear objectives, deadlines and means of implementation.
He identifies three areas for cooperation: security and defense, the economy and investment, and energy and technology. In the first area, he points to deepening military cooperation, increasing defense capabilities and advancing Kosovo’s Euro-Atlantic integration, including NATO membership. On the economy, he calls for increased US investment. On energy and technology, he highlights diversification and energy security, as well as cooperation on emerging technologies.
Bekteshi concludes that Kosovo should use this moment to show that it is a serious and reliable partner of the United States. This requires stable relations with the full spectrum of American politics and putting the national interest above internal divisions, he says.
