CIA Director at the Presidency of Kosovo

(Patria) - The head of the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), William Burns, was filmed entering the building of the Presidency of Kosovo on August 22.

His visit to Kosovo comes after the senior US intelligence official visited other countries in the region.

Previously, the US Embassy in Pristina did not confirm Burns' visit to Kosovo. Radio Free Europe did not receive confirmation from either the Presidency of Kosovo or the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

However, a US military aircraft, which the CIA chief reportedly used to travel to Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia, was seen on Thursday at noon at Pristina's "Adem Jashari" airport.

A team from Radio Free Europe filmed a US military aircraft parked in front of the "VIP" area at the airport on Thursday afternoon.

It is believed that Burns traveled on this aircraft from Sarajevo to Belgrade. Meanwhile, on August 22, this aircraft traveled from Belgrade to Bulgaria, North Macedonia, and finally Kosovo, according to the flight tracking website Flightradar.

In Bosnia and Herzegovina, Burns met on August 20 with colleagues from the intelligence sector, members of the Presidency of this country, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of BiH.

As a US government official, who wished to remain anonymous, told Radio Free Europe, the reason for the CIA chief's visit to Sarajevo is, among other things, the disturbing separatist rhetoric and actions of Milorad Dodik, the pro-Russian president of Republika Srpska and the government of this entity.

CIA chief's visit to BiH and Serbia 'a response to the Kremlin and secessionism from RS'
Meanwhile, on August 21, he went to Belgrade, but this visit was neither confirmed nor denied by officials in Serbia and the US.

Burns' visit to the region comes at a time when the US Ambassador to Kosovo, Jeffrey Hovenier, said that his country has been challenged in several aspects by the Government of Kosovo, led by Albin Kurti.

The US and other countries of the international community have criticized some decisions and actions recently taken by Kurti's government, which were assessed as "unilateral" and "uncoordinated."

The US Department of State requested Kurti's government to return to "constructive and close engagement" with Washington, the European Union, and NATO, while Washington also demands that Kosovo's institutions do not open the bridge over the Ibar River for traffic, citing security concerns.

Burns is a former US ambassador to Russia. He is a central figure in the administration of US President Joe Biden, as he is also a member of the White House presidential cabinet.

He was nominated by President Biden for the position of CIA director in January 2021.