Washington, 28 July 2022 – The Prime Minister of the Republic of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, accompanied by the Minister of Economy, Artane Rizvanolli, as well as the Ambassador of Kosovo to the United States of America Ilir Dugolli, were received in a meeting at the US Department of Energy by the Assistant Secretary of Energy, Andrew Light.

Prime Minister Kurti has presented the systematic work that the Government of the Republic of Kosovo is doing in combating crime and corruption, which contributes to the creation of a suitable environment for economic development and attraction of foreign investments.

Moreover, Prime Minister Kurti emphasized that Kosovo and the United States of America have common goals and priorities for a clean and efficient energy sector. These goals, which have become even more critical due to the current situation in the world, have proven that clean energy and efficiency are not only methods to fight climate change but also to guarantee security of supply as well as independence from fossil resources coming from authoritarian states.

Assistant Secretary Light expressed his acknowledgment for the progress that the Government of the Republic of Kosovo has made in such a short period of time, and congratulated the Prime Minister and the Minister for reaching the Compact Program agreement with the MCC. Assistant Secretary Light said that he is very happy to continue the close partnership with Kosovo in the energy sector, a sector in which the two countries have common goals.

The meeting involved discussions on the excellent collaboration between the United States of America and the Republic of Kosovo with respect to the development of the energy sector, in particular through development agencies such as USAID and MCC, which have given a valuable contribution to the long-term Energy Strategy of Kosovo, as well as for the development of accumulation capacities.

During the meeting, Minister Rizvanolli presented the work to Assistant Secretary Light that is currently being done through the 2022 – 2031 Energy Strategy, which has a long-term vision towards decarbonization by 2050, with citizens and especially vulnerable groups at its center.

Minister Rizvanolli thanked Assistant Secretary Light for the readiness for partnership with Kosovo for the purpose of economic development, with a focus on the energy sector, either through P-TECC where Kosovo has been invited to participate for the first time in 2021, or through other cooperation mechanisms in this sector.