In the absence of official lobbying in the United States, Kosovo’s President, Vjosa Osmani, has emerged in recent months as one of the most active figures on the international stage. Her participation in the signing ceremony of the Gaza Peace Board Charter and meetings with US President Donald Trump – with handshakes and one-on-one conversations – have captured the attention of international media. The country of about 1.5 million people has shown that active diplomacy can keep it visible.
“It is a historic initiative, with a clear vision: to bring more peace and security to the world,” Osmani said after signing the Peace Board Charter on January 22.
This initiative was not met with any hesitation. Democracies like France and Germany refused to participate in it, warning that it could weaken the role of the UN and open the door to figures like Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Even in Kosovo, reactions were divided: for some, participation is a step towards increasing the country’s international weight, for others – a dangerous alignment alongside authoritarian regimes, including Belarus.
Thus, the debate around the Peace Board overshadowed another essential issue: the lack of state lobbying for Kosovo in the US.
Donika Emini, a political analyst, says that Kosovo has had very few active voices in Washington for almost two years – not for lack of topics, but for lack of structure. The country has no active lobbying contracts on the US Department of Justice’s Foreign Agents Registration Act, known as FARA, as of June 2024. This is despite the fact that such lobbying allows any foreign country to legally attempt to influence US policies.
According to Emini, the lack of this mechanism weakens Kosovo’s ability to communicate its interests, because, as he says, the individual engagement of an official cannot replace a professional lobbying structure – especially in the US.
“It is really worrying, because the US does not function like the European Union. With EU countries, with Brussels itself, you can manage bilateral relations yourself, through official channels, state representatives. In the US, that platform [FARA] and that opportunity work, because everything is done through lobbying. Nothing is accidental,” says Emini, from the Balkan Policy Advisory Group in Europe.
Since the early 90s, Kosovo has paid numerous lobbying firms in the US hundreds of thousands of dollars to promote its international agenda. The contracts have been signed by state institutions with well-known American names, such as the Podesta Group and Ballard Partners.
In the last five years, during the rule of President Osmani and the Government of Albin Kurti, only three lobbying contracts have been signed – all in 2023: one short-term and two others that expired a year later.
Radio Free Europe has requested clarification from the Presidency, Government and Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Diaspora regarding the reasons why Kosovo currently does not have any active lobbying contracts registered with FARA. So far, none of the institutions have responded, leaving open questions about the lack of a clear strategy, planning and institutional coordination.
In one of the rare statements on the issue of lobbying, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Donika Gërvalla – now in office – said that the extension of the contracts with the two companies contracted in 2023 – Avni Mustafaj and Afërdita Rakipi – is “being considered”. But, even almost a year and a half later, this has not happened. Gërvalla stated that she is satisfied with their work, even though most of the expenses have gone to lunches, trips and meetings in Pristina.
“There are no concerns regarding these contracts. The two of them work together in carrying out their duties,” Gervalla said at the time.
According to Emini, Kosovo takes US political support for granted, without understanding the drastic changes in political elites that have occurred there.
“We are not in the ’90s. We do not have a political elite in the US that knows the Balkans in detail. We do not have lobbyists, senators or congressmen like we once had, who had the political cause of advancing the Balkans,” says Emini.
Vesko Garcevic, a professor of the Practice of International Relations at Boston University, says that without lobbyists providing inside information, Kosovo risks misunderstanding US priorities, drafting policies that do not fit Washington’s expectations and, as a result, receive little support. In this way, Kosovo – conditionally speaking – also risks being “forgotten,” giving space to others to create the narrative about it.
“Serbia, in particular, has invested enormously, both financially and through its connections, in building a lobbying network. So, if I were in the position of the Kosovo Government, I would do the same thing. I would think about engaging someone with influence who represents Kosovo’s interests – outside of the diplomatic office that Kosovo has in Washington,” Garcevic tells Exposé.
Serbia currently has six active contracts under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA). One of them includes advocacy before the US Congress and its departments.
Of the other countries in the Region, Bosnia and Herzegovina has 14 active contracts, most of them signed by Republika Srpska; Albania has four, while Montenegro and North Macedonia have none.
Garcevic, a former Montenegrin ambassador to several European countries, says lobbying compensates for a country’s limited diplomatic clout. Unlike large countries, small states – such as Kosovo and Montenegro – do not have great economic, military or strategic influence, and therefore do not automatically attract Washington’s attention. He explains that constant lobbying has made Montenegro’s NATO candidacy perceived positively by the US, and has played a crucial role in achieving success.
“Long before the decision was made in 2017, we found a very effective lobbying group that worked in favor of Montenegro. When we started the membership campaign, NATO was not eager to accept a new member. This has changed over time, and I can say that lobbyists have played an important role in this process,” says Garcevic.
In the circumstances Kosovo finds itself in – with open issues with Serbia and outside NATO and the EU – lobbying in the US is not just a matter of image. It is also a key tool for protecting civilian security and ensuring that the US remains committed to the country’s stability and defense, according to Garcevic.
“Therefore, don’t let others shape the way the US approaches you. You have to be proactive, because it also helps you better understand how it thinks internally. The people you hire to work for you can give you real assessments of what’s happening on the other side and how they see the situation,” he says.
Emini adds that the political reality in Washington has changed significantly and that decision-making today takes place in a much more fragmented environment. According to her, the new Kosovo Government, which is expected to be formed again by Albin Kurti, should invest in building long-term lobbying networks in the US, rather than relying on sporadic communication or only on official visits.
“Kosovo is a small state and as such it survives in alliances. Even if it were a complete statehood, even if it had an army and was part of NATO, alliances are necessary,” says Emini.
Relations between Kosovo and the United States have been tense for the past two years. The reason has been several decisions by the Kosovo government, which Washington has assessed as harmful to the Serbian community. The clashes have culminated in public warnings by American officials about the deterioration of relations and the imposition of punitive measures against Kosovo, although Kurti’s government has insisted that these disagreements are part of a normal dynamic between allies.
This month, Kosovo was added to a list of 75 countries whose citizens the US has temporarily suspended from issuing immigration visas. The official reason: preventing welfare abuse. This list includes all Western Balkan countries except Serbia, which, according to some media reports, has also benefited from intensive lobbying.
However, the US State Department has clarified that the measure targets those who “use US social assistance at unacceptable levels.”
In a Washington where attention is bought, won or lost, the challenge for Kosovo now lies not only in maintaining friendships, but also in the ability to be heard.
In the words of President Osmani, after signing the Charter of the Peace Board, “when America leads, peace is always more secure.” But it remains to be seen whether Kosovo will manage to turn this moment into real impact – beyond handshakes and media headlines. (RFE)