Leaders from Kosovo and the state of Iowa celebrated the opening of the first diplomatic office located in Iowa: the Consulate of the Republic of Kosovo. The announcement of the opening was made this morning at a press conference held at the Greater Des Moines Partnership Conference Center in downtown Des Moines. The consulate is located in the Court Avenue Business Suites in the Saddlery Building downtown. “We chose Des Moines, Iowa, because of our robust ties to the state and the ease of conducting business here,” said Hashim Thaçi, Kosovo’s deputy prime minister. The Iowa-Kosovo relationship began in 2011, when the Iowa National Guard was partnered with the Kosovo Security Force via the National Guard Bureau’s State Partnership Program. In 2013, Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad and Kosovo President Atifete Jahjaga signed a sister state agreement joining the state of Iowa and the Republic of Kosovo.