U.S. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, on a European tour, met with leaders of Kosovo and visited the U.S. troops assigned to NATO's Kosovo Force, Tuesday.
Gates, the first member of the US cabinet to visit Kosovo since it declared its independence from Serbia in February, thanked the 1,400 American soldiers deployed there.
"We haven't forgotten them, and we know how important they are," Gates told reporters during a news conference in the Kosovar capital, Pristina.
Gates guaranteed the US forces' continued presence in the region, dismissing concerns that the Americans may pull out.
Kosovo President Fatmir Sejdiu and Prime Minister Hashim Thaci thanked America for its support of the nation and thanked Gates for his efforts.
The main agenda of Gates' European tour is a NATO defense ministerial conference in Hungary's capital, Budapest, beginning Wednesday.
He will also travel to Macedonia to attend a southeastern Europe defense ministers' conference.
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