Good afternoon, distinguished guests, AmCham Director Arian Zeka, our virtual speakers Deputy Assistant Secretary from the Energy Department Dan Byers and Senior Vice President of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Global Energy Institute Christopher Guith, members of the American Chamber of Commerce, and the private sector, colleagues

It is a pleasure to join you today for the launch of this important policy paper on American liquified natural gas and the potential for a long-term bilateral partnership.

I want to extend my appreciation to AmCham Kosovo for both organizing today’s event and for leading the research and publication of this thoughtful and timely paper.

Bringing together experts, businesses, policymakers, and stakeholders to examine Kosovo’s long-term energy needs, this initiative is an important contribution to Kosovo’s economic and energy future.

The United States strongly supports Kosovo’s efforts to build a more secure, reliable, and diversified energy sector.  Energy security is national security. And energy diversification is essential to achieving that security.

Kosovo’s domestic electricity supply is not keeping pace with growing demand.  As the gap widens, Kosovo is increasingly dependent on costly electricity imports from neighboring markets.

In the past three years, electricity imports have risen dramatically — from 116 million euros in 2023, to 142 million euros in 2024, to an all-time high of 259 million euros in 2025.

Those rising costs affect families, businesses, and Kosovo’s overall competitiveness.

At the same time, we continue to hear from American companies — particularly in the ICT and defense sectors — that concerns about energy reliability are becoming a barrier to future investment.  Reliable energy is not simply a technical issue. It is an economic issue, a business climate issue, and a strategic issue.

That is why conversations like today’s are so important.

The United States believes there is a significant opportunity for deeper long-term energy cooperation between our two countries through abundant and dependable American liquified natural gas, or LNG.

Investing now in the infrastructure needed to bring American LNG to Kosovo would help diversify Kosovo’s energy mix while creating a more flexible and resilient system.  Unlike lignite coal plants, natural gas facilities can ramp production up or down quickly and provide critical surge capacity during winter months – when demand and prices peak.

And timing matters.

The United States is significantly expanding LNG export capacity along the Gulf Coast over the coming years.  As supply grows, now is the time for countries to secure long-term partnerships and competitive contracts before that future capacity becomes fully committed elsewhere.

Today, Kosovo remains the only country in the Western Balkans not connected or currently planning to connect to natural gas infrastructure.

Greater integration into regional and global energy networks would strengthen Kosovo’s energy resilience, support economic growth, and further reinforce Kosovo’s ties with trusted partners such as the United States.

This also aligns with broader U.S. priorities. The United States wants to be the energy supplier of choice for Europe and to support reliable, transparent, market-based energy partnerships that strengthen regional security and economic prosperity.

American companies bring not only resources, but also innovation, reliability, and high standards.  Long-term LNG cooperation would create jobs and economic benefits in the United States while also helping Kosovo build a more stable and attractive investment environment.

We also recognize the important role of U.S.-supported programs already contributing to Kosovo’s energy future.

The Millennium Challenge Corporation Compact, including its battery energy storage project, is helping improve grid stability and modernize Kosovo’s energy infrastructure.  We want to ensure future investments complement and build upon broader efforts to upgrade Kosovo’s energy supply.

Today’s policy paper contributes meaningfully to this conversation, and I again want to commend AmCham for bringing together stakeholders from across government, business, and civil society to discuss these issues openly and constructively.

The United States remains invested in Kosovo’s long-term prosperity, security, and economic development. We look forward to continuing our partnership as Kosovo builds a stronger and more sustainable energy future.

Thank you very much.