Kosovo has signed a $49 million agreement with the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) aimed at strengthening rule of law and economic development. President of Kosovo Hashim Thaci, who signed the agreement, said it marks a new page in relations between Kosovo and the U.S. “It is up to the institutions of Kosovo to begin work as of tomorrow to make this agreement a reason for celebration for thousands of people in Kosovo,” Thaci said.

President of Kosovo, Hashim Thaci, announced that the U.S.’s Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) has allocated USD 50 million that will go towards economic growth in Kosovo. According to Thaci, the funds given to the Kosovo Threshold Program are the biggest than for any other country and this, he said, shows the U.S. unwavering support for Kosovo.

The news website reports that Kosovo has lost millions of U.S. aid due to its failure to efficiently combat corruption. Namely, the Board of the Millennium Challenge Corporation, an independent U.S. government agency working to reduce global poverty through economic growth, has decided to drop Kosovo from the “Compact” program to the “MCC threshold” program, after Kosovo authorities failed to achieve progress in the fight against corruption.

The Kosovo government has annulled its decision made on May 13 whereby Petrit Selimi, Deputy Foreign Minister, was appointed as national coordinator of the Millennium Challenges Corporation. Kosovo’s Prime Minister, Isa Mustafa, said today that the government received complaints from the Anti-Corruption Agency that Selimi cannot hold both the post of Deputy Foreign Minister and MCC coordinator. Principal Deputy Prime Minister, Hajredin Kuçi, said today that the government will recruit a civil staff to the post of MCC national coordinator.