In an exclusive interview for KosovaPress, Ambassador Kosnett talks about his evocations in Kosovo during this year of the Pandemic, the challenges, emotions, the joys and sorrows, missing work and normal life, etcetera.<\/p>\n
KosovaPress: As we are on the verge of celebrating the holidays, I take this opportunity to wish you a very Merry Christmas! This Christmas is different from the previous ones in your history as US Ambassador to Kosovo, and that due to the pandemic (Covid-19). What changes will there be in your Christmas celebration this year?<\/strong><\/p>\n Ambassador Kosnett:<\/strong> First, let me thank you and offer my own wishes for a Merry Christmas to those who celebrate the holiday, and wish everyone a safe and peaceful New Year.\u00a0 This year my family, like many families around the world, will be unable to gather together in person due to the pandemic and travel restrictions.\u00a0 We regret this but as a diplomatic family we are used to being physically separated from our loved ones at times.\u00a0 So my wife Alison and I will get together with other family members through the magic of video conferencing.\u00a0\u00a0 Separation now is a price worth paying to help get the virus under control.<\/p>\n KosovaPress: How are you doing during this pandemic period?\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Ambassador Kosnett:<\/strong> I\u2019m okay, thanks.\u00a0 I feel thankful for good health, close family, good friends and trusted colleagues, and for the opportunity to serve.\u00a0 Americans always feel welcome and at home in Kosovo.\u00a0 Whenever I start to feel constrained I remind myself that I\u2019m in a better position than most of the billions of people on the planet.\u00a0 We all need to think less about how the pandemic is affecting us and more about how we can work collectively to overcome it.\u00a0 Frankly, I get most frustrated when I see people ignoring the simple steps they can take to protect themselves and their families, like wearing masks and washing hands, avoiding large gatherings and maintaining social distancing.\u00a0 Some countermeasures are expensive.\u00a0 Masks and soap are not. \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n KosovaPress: Do you miss the daily dynamics that come with working in the office?<\/strong><\/p>\n Ambassador Kosnett:<\/strong> Sure. I split my time between working from home and spending time at our Embassy.\u00a0 I miss the energy of being surrounded by colleagues \u2013 American and Kosovo citizens \u2013 at the Embassy, and regret that most of my external meetings are via videoconference.\u00a0 It\u2019s not the same as personal contact.\u00a0 I miss getting out of Pristina, visiting with and learning from people throughout the country.\u00a0\u00a0 Diplomacy is, at heart, about personal relationships and personal communication.<\/p>\n KosovaPress: Almost the entire year we were out of the office and away from our loved ones. What do you miss the most?<\/strong><\/p>\n Ambassador Kosnett:<\/strong> As I mentioned before, it\u2019s the human contact, but in the form of the little things, being able to share a meal with family and friends, traveling and sharing new experiences, going to church in Pristina.\u00a0\u00a0 But if we all continue to work together to defeat COVID,\u00a0we will be able to enjoy these simple acts of fellowship again.<\/p>\n KosovaPress: What was the most challenging moment this year?<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0Ambassador Kosnett:<\/strong> Wow.\u00a0 I can\u2019t think of a single moment.\u00a0 It has been a recurring series of challenging moments, actually.\u00a0 Perhaps it was the realization that this pandemic was going to strike harder and last longer than other epidemic threats the world has faced in recent memory.\u00a0 Hope would rise and fall.\u00a0 We wondered when it would ever end.\u00a0 Then news came that scientists had developed vaccines in record time \u2013 but it will still be months or longer before everyone is immunized and we can truly say the pandemic is under control.\u00a0 It is far from over and we can\u2019t relax our guard.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong>KosovaPress: Was there a moment of exasperation?<\/strong><\/p>\n Ambassador Kosnett:<\/strong> Yes, I get exasperated when I see people \u2013 in the United States as well as Kosovo \u2013 denying scientific reality, denying medical advice and endangering themselves as well as their families and friends by refusing to take measures against the virus.\u00a0 Americans and Kosovars have a lot in common, including the fact that we are tough and resilient.\u00a0 Many of us don\u2019t want to look like they are afraid of the virus.\u00a0 We shouldn\u2019t be afraid, but we should fight it with the tools at our disposal.\u00a0 Don\u2019t just try to be tough \u2013 be smart.<\/p>\n KosovaPress: Was there a moment you were sad and said to yourself \u201cI wish to abort this mission and go back home\u201d?\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Ambassador Kosnett:<\/strong> Never.\u00a0 It is my honor to serve as the U.S. Ambassador to Kosovo, and to lead a team of dedicated professionals from both countries.\u00a0 I believe the things the U.S. wants for Kosovo \u2013 peace with neighboring countries and among communities, a trustworthy justice system, prosperity and opportunity \u2013 are the things the people of Kosovo want and deserve.\u00a0\u00a0 Above all, we want Kosovo to take its place in the world as an independent, self-sufficient democracy.\u00a0 Governments don\u2019t always agree on the issues of the day, but the fundamentals of the relationship are solid.<\/p>\n KosovaPress: Is there anything positive you\u2019ve learned during this period of the pandemic?<\/strong><\/p>\n Ambassador Kosnett:<\/strong> Humans are tough and smart, creative and resilient.\u00a0 We take for granted, sometimes, the extraordinary goals we can achieve when we stop fighting and work together.\u00a0 We put humans on the Moon, and soon Mars.\u00a0 How amazing is it that we all carry with us a smartphone \u2013 a microcomputer, actually \u2013 through which we can access the sum total of human knowledge?\u00a0\u00a0 We\u2019ve defeated smallpox, defeated polio \u2013 and soon we will defeat COVID.\u00a0 But only if we stay disciplined and look out for one another.<\/p>\n KosovaPress: Undoubtedly, the Pandemic must have restricted the realization of various projects, and the objectives you\u2019ve planned for this year, on a personal as well as professional level as an Ambassador. Has the Pandemic harmed you in this regard?<\/strong><\/p>\n Ambassador Kosnett<\/strong>: We lost ground this year, sure.\u00a0 For example, when the pandemic was just beginning last February,\u00a0I was in New York talking to diaspora leaders about increasing diaspora involvement in Kosovo \u2013 not only through investment, but through sharing expertise in numerous fields.\u00a0 There was a lot of interest.\u00a0 The pandemic cost us a year in realizing some projects.\u00a0 I still want to pursue this initiative.\u00a0 We have a saying that \u201cMan plans, and God laughs.\u201d\u00a0 You have to plan for the future but you have to stay flexible.<\/p>\n KosovaPress: What has been the moment you were most impressed during this year?\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Ambassador Kosnett:<\/strong> Again, there are so many moments.\u00a0 I have been impressed by the bravery and dedication of the health care workers and others who have risked so much to keep us safe.\u00a0 The teachers who have found ways \u2013 with the help of business as well as government \u2013 to keep educating the children.\u00a0 The scientists in the U.S. and elsewhere who have developed vaccines in record time.\u00a0 2020 has been a year of tragedy.\u00a0 Let\u2019s make 2021 the year of promise.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Away from his homeland and relatives, serving as a representative of the most powerful country in the world in a small country such as Kosovo, the Ambassador of the United States of America, Philip S. Kosnett, delivers messages of hope and love for people, during these holidays which all around the world are being celebrated […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":18995,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[303,307,306,296],"tags":[535],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kosovapress.com\/eng\/admin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18994"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kosovapress.com\/eng\/admin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kosovapress.com\/eng\/admin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kosovapress.com\/eng\/admin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kosovapress.com\/eng\/admin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18994"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/kosovapress.com\/eng\/admin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18994\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18998,"href":"https:\/\/kosovapress.com\/eng\/admin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18994\/revisions\/18998"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kosovapress.com\/eng\/admin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/18995"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kosovapress.com\/eng\/admin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18994"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kosovapress.com\/eng\/admin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18994"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kosovapress.com\/eng\/admin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18994"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}