Former US congressman Eliot Engel, one of Kosovo's biggest supporters, has died at the age of 79.

He left the US Congress in January 2021, after more than three decades in office.

Engel, a Democrat, had represented parts of the Bronx — a New York City neighborhood with a large and politically active Albanian population — since 1989.

He was the main gatherer of Congress support for the recognition of Kosovo's independence from Serbia in 2008.

His unwavering support for Kosovo, over decades, made him famous in Kosovo.

Kosovo has named a road and a highway in Engel's honor and has even issued a postage stamp with his photograph.

This made him a controversial figure in Serbia, the country that continues to refuse to accept Kosovo's independence and lobbies against its recognition by the international community.

On December 8, 2020, at a hearing in the House of Representatives, Engel spoke about the Western Balkans, and specifically about Kosovo.

"I didn't know the passion I would develop for a small corner of Europe called the Balkans," he said.

"I have traveled to every country in the Western Balkans multiple times, met with so many leaders from so many parties, and loved the rich diversity of cultures, ethnicities, and religions. But no country has touched my heart more than Kosovo."

Engel entered Congress as Yugoslavia was violently breaking up along ethnic lines. He became involved in many regional disputes through his position on the Foreign Affairs Committee, eventually earning a reputation as an expert on the Balkans.

He was among the first American lawmakers to call on Bill Clinton's administration to intervene, in 1998, to stop the actions of Yugoslav and Serbian forces in Kosovo.

A decade later, he was even more vocal in Congress for the US's recognition of Kosovo's independence./REL