Photo By Christie Smith | Maj. Gen. Tim Orr, Adjutant General of the Iowa National Guard, attends the Kosovo...... read more read more
Distinguished visitors from the United States and the Iowa National Guard joined citizens of the Republic of Kosovo to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Kosovo’s independence this February.
The week of celebrations began some 5,000 miles from Kosovo, the second-youngest country in the world, in America’s heartland. Kosovo Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj visited Iowa for the first time Feb. 11, touring the state with Maj. Gen. Tim Orr, the Adjutant General of the Iowa National Guard.
“Since 2003 when we first mobilized Iowa National Guard Soldiers to serve in Kosovo as part of NATO’s KFOR (Kosovo Force) mission, Kosovo and its people have held a special place in our state and among our citizens,” Orr said in a 10th anniversary message to Kosovo.
Though the connection between Iowa and Kosovo can be traced back to 2003, the relationship intensified in 2011 when they were officially assigned as partners in the National Guard Bureau’s State Partnership Program (SPP).
Lt. Col. Michael Wunn, the Iowa National Guard’s State Partnership Program director, said that in less than a decade as state partners, Iowa and Kosovo have set the example for the SPP.
“We have been invited to Washington, D.C. at different times to talk about our unique relationship with Kosovo,” Wunn said, “and a lot of that is built around this whole of Iowa for the whole of Kosovo [concept].”
“The whole of Iowa for the whole of Kosovo” is a concept, created and coined by Orr, which takes the partnership beyond what Wunn refers to as “mil to mil” engagements – where the Iowa National Guard partners with the Kosovo Security Force to work on missions like emergency management and search and rescue.
“[Orr] has reached out to our partners in the civilian sector to encourage them to look at other non-military partnering opportunities,” Wunn said.
Through the whole of society approach, Iowa colleges and universities, law enforcement agencies, business owners and politicians have worked side by side with their Kosovar counterparts, helping to ensure continued success for the young Balkan nation.
When Haradinaj returned home for Kosovo’s Independence Day – officially Feb. 17 – Orr followed, along with other guests from the Iowa National Guard and Washington, D.C.
Assistant Secretary for International Security Affairs Robert Story Karem attended the Kosovo Independence Day festivities in the cities of Pristina and Prizren. While addressing guests at the Kosovo state reception, Karem emphasized America’s commitment to a safe and secure Kosovo and praised the relationship between Iowa and Kosovo.
“Your partnership with America’s state of Iowa and the Iowa National Guard has become the model for strengthening security cooperation and training,” Karem said.
Karem, Orr, U.S. Ambassador to Kosovo Greg Delawie and other distinguished guests – like New York Congressman Eliot L. Engel, a longtime proponent of Kosovo’s independence – attended celebrations including a commemorative U.S. Air Force in Europe Band concert, an Independence Day parade in the city center of Pristina and a solemn session of the Kosovo Parliament.
“I would not have missed this historic moment for anything,” Engel said while addressing parliament, a sentiment expressed by many of the American guests.
In his Independence Day message, Orr said the 10th anniversary celebration was a personal one.
“Few things in my own career compare to the incredible satisfaction of working together with our Kosovar friends and partners to build what is recognized as the best State Partnership Program in the world,” Orr said.
As a testament to this success, Orr returned to Iowa accompanied by Kosovo Consul General Xhavit Gashi – the first foreign consul to call Iowa home and the first-ever SPP member to open a consulate in their partner state. Now, in America’s heartland, work continues to see what the next ten years hold for Kosovo.
| Date Taken: | 02.23.2018 |
| Date Posted: | 02.23.2018 16:25 |
| Story ID: | 267052 |
| Location: | PRISTINA, ZZ |
| Web Views: | 141 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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