Eliot Engel, Kosovo's moral representative, leaves Congress after 32 years

Engel, 73, was recently one of the most powerful Democrats in Congress as chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. His agenda points included running an investigation into President Donald Trump's recent decision to dismiss State Department general inspector, but it is being taken into account, is his continued commitment to Kosovo.

Kosovo has already lost its biggest supporter at the US Congress after Eliot Engel left Capitol Hill after 32 years in office.

Engel, the Democrat, has represented a part of the Brooklyn City of New York with a large and politically active ethnic Albanian population since 1989 and was a leader in Congress, engaging in the engagement of joining support for recognising Kosovo's independence declared in 2008.

His steadfast support for Kosovo over the decades has made him a famous man in the small Balkan state. On the other hand, Kosovo-Engel's mutual love has made the latter a hated figure in Serbia that still does not accept Kosovo as a state and lobbies against its recognition by the international community.

But Engel's departure from the House of Representatives where he recently headed the lower house Foreign Affairs Committee, using his position to punish Belgrade and protect Kosovo may not be an opportunity for Serbia to enjoy now and Kosovo realise that an extraordinary representative has lost.

However, Engel has said he is not planning to retire after his sudden defeat of a school principal in democratic elections late last year. He said he has been asked whether he wants to be ambassador or deputy secretary in the administration of President-elect Joe Biden and that he is looking into his options again, raising fears in Belgrade that he could continue to influence US politics in the Balkans.

“ [There are] many different things I can do. I'm not making any decisions right now, but, you know, I'm thinking about this”, he told Washington Examiner in early December. You may do something with the administration. Some people have suggested that I may be Ambassador”.

Engel entered Congress when Yugoslavia was being divided violently along ethnic lines and plunged into many regional disputes in his country's Foreign Affairs Committee, eventually gaining a reputation as a Balkan expert.

He was among the first US lawmakers to call on President Bill Clinton's administration to intervene in 1999 to stop Serb forces in Kosovo and was no doubt the most open lawyer in Congress for recognising Kosovo's independence by the US a decade later.

Engel continues to fight for justice for the Bytyqi brothers, three Albanian-Americans who fought for Kosovo and were executed by Serbian police in 1999. Their killers have not yet been prosecuted.

Recently, he posted into “Facebook” The speech given a few days ago, where he did not forget to mention Kosovo, which, as he said, holds a special place in his heart.

By halting the intervention of the Clinton administration in 1999, Engel said it was possible to stop the genocide in Kosovo. He says he has always supported the idea of Kosovo's sovereignty.

There are some areas I like to think I made the difference. I always had a special place in my heart for the Balkans, especially Kosovo. In 1999, I strongly supported the intervention of Clinton Administration in the Balkans. We know this stopped a genocide. Since then, I have been a supporter of Kosovo's sovereignty and independence. That country has made remarkable steps and is known by the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Japan, and many other important nations”, Engel said.

After Engel left the American Congress, President Vjosa Osmani's task officer, thanking him, congratulated him for the future.

Thank you for your invaluable service and friendship, Congressman Elliot Engel! Your recognition of the need for justice and your determination in supporting the construction of the state of Kosovo were necessary. Our people are eternally grateful and we wish you the best in your future efforts”, Osmani wrote on Twitter.