“I support Kosovo’s independence,” said the Democratic Party’s presidential candidate, Barack Obama, in his letter written to the National Council of U.S. Albanians.

In the letter drafted at a ceremonial dinner on Friday, where former U.S. negotiator Frank Wisner and Congressman Eliot Engel received awards for their support to the Albanian community, Obama—who did not attend the event— stated that as president, he would continue to monitor events in the Balkans closely.

Obama said, “I support Kosovo’s independence and her desire to move towards full sovereignty. I believe that the U.S. should help develop a strong democracy in Kosovo that will be guaranteed by the application of laws that safeguard the interests of all people. I support Kosovo’s integration in Euro-Atlantic institutions, and that will best be accomplished by creating a free, tolerant and wealthy society that promotes minority rights and protects religious and cultural monuments.”