The Unites States upgraded on Tuesday its office in the Kosovo capital Pristina to the status of an embassy, becoming the fifth country to open an embassy in Kosovo.

Tina Kaidanow, former head of the U.S. office and incumbent charge d'affaires, said the opening of the U.S. embassy in Pristina was the result of Kosovo's new status as "an independent country" which had been recognized by the strongest and most progressive countries in the world.

Kaidanow said the opening of the embassy had been officially approved by the U.S. Congress and that it marked a new stage in U.S.-Kosovo relations.

Since Kosovo proclaimed independence on Feb. 17, it has been formally recognized by 36 countries, of which Albania, Great Britain, Germany, Switzerland, and now the United States, have opened their embassies in Pristina. The United States is one of the first countries to recognize Kosovo's independence and the first country to open its office in Kosovo in the 1990s.

(Xinhua News Agency April 9, 2008)