John Thune is elected president of the American Senate - the candidate that the Albanian-Americans wanted

The Republican Party won back the majority in the US Senate and after a short but fierce political battle between colleagues, John Thune was announced as the new President of the Senate.

Albanians have won a politician whom they know and who will now have great power in his mandate.

The publisher of the newspaper Illyria, Vehbi Bajrami welcomes the victory of Senator Thune, recalls the meeting in Manhattan where they talked about Kosovo and the Albanians in the region

"I am happy that our friend won this position. Senator Thune is a politician that we have supported and that we have presented with the problems of Kosovo and the Albanians in the Balkans", said on this occasion the publisher of the newspaper "Illyria", Vehbi Bajrami.

Publisher Bajrami was part of a group of Albanian-American community activists and their American friends who in June of this year met in New York with US Senator John Thune and promised their help for his future political plans.

At the time, it was not yet known who would win the election, and the Senator-elect from South Dakota was only aiming for the post of Leader of the Republican Party in the US Senate, which would be vacated after the retirement of Senate veteran Mitch McConnell.

During this support meeting for Senator Thune, the situation in Kosovo was discussed. Jim Xhema, the well-known diaspora activist, who organized this meeting and other activists asked the American Senator for help for Kosovo, especially for its membership in NATO.

The publisher of the Albanian-American newspaper, "Illyria", submitted to the Senator a document summarizing the situation in Kosovo and the demands of the Albanian-American community for guidance in American foreign policy.

In the document, in addition to a brief description of the importance of the Albanian community and the situation in Kosovo, some specific requests for American foreign policy are presented that would be in the interest not only of Kosovo and the Albanians in the region, but also in the service of peace and stability.

The document requires, among other things, that the US clearly repeats that the end of the normalization process is the recognition of Kosovo by Serbia. The US should also work for the remaining 5 EU countries to recognize Kosovo and assist in its accelerated NATO membership.

Furthermore, the document also aligns the views of the community on a number of issues related to Kosovo, Serbia and the region, with the need for justice for the systematic rapes during the war, for the killers of the Albanian-American brothers Bytyçi, etc.

At the dinner that was served at the restaurant of the Albanian activist Halil Ahmetaj, "Allora", in Manhattan, the Senator was accompanied by his wife Kimberly and the main advisers.

At the end of the conversation, Senator Thune thanked for the meeting and promised to visit Kosovo in the future, "Illyria" writes.

American Senator John Thune with prominent Albanian-American activist, Jim Xhema.

American Senator John Thune with the publisher of the Albanian-American newspaper, "Illyria", Vehbi Bajrami.