Gov. Kim Reynolds welcomes Kosovo president in Iowa visit

DES MOINES — Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds welcomed Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani on a visit to Iowa Tuesday, praising the relationship between the state and country.

Osmani is in Iowa for the World Food Prize Week of Events, an annual conference put on by the global foundation based in Des Moines. She will give the opening keynote at the conference on Thursday.

Kosovo, a Balkan country that borders Serbia and Albania, became Iowa's ninth sister state in 2013 under then-Gov. Terry Branstad. The partnership includes a military partnership between the Iowa National Guard and the Kosovo Security Forces.

Iowa National Guard members have participated in overseas missions with the Kosovar military, Reynolds said, and Des Moines Area Community College worked with a Kosovo organization to help train young female leaders.

"Ten years after it first began, our people are clearly closer than ever," Reynolds said of the partnership during a welcome ceremony at the Iowa State Capitol.

Reynolds went on a trade mission to Kosovo in June and met with Osmani and other Kosovar leaders.

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Osmani said Kosovo's partnership with Iowa is a reflection of the country's partnership with the U.S. at large.

Kosovo is one of the world's youngest countries, having declared independence from Serbia in 2008. Its independence was supported by the U.S.

"You stood with us in the darkest hours," Osmani said of Kosovo's relationship with the U.S. "When we needed a savior, you saved our lives."

She said the partnership with Iowa allows for improvements in areas such as national defense, agriculture, tourism and energy.

"I'm confident that this is just the beginning of our excellent relationship, and some of the very first milestones toward greater strides in the future," Osmani said.

After the ceremony, Reynolds and Osmani held a private meeting, according to Reynolds' office.

Osmani will speak Thursday at the World Food Prize conference. The conference, held in Des Moines, features global leaders and is focused this year on "harnessing innovation, adaptation, and diversification" to improve resilience and sustainability in the global food supply, according to the foundation's website.

Heidi Kühn, the 2023 World Food Prize Laureate, will be recognized at the conference for founding the humanitarian non-profit Roots of Peace.