Prishtina, 23 August 2023
Dear Deputy Prime Ministers, Bislimi, Gërvalla and Rexhepi,
Ministers and deputy ministers,
This Monday at the Maximos palace in Athens, a commitment made twenty years ago in Thessaloniki for the full membership of the Western Balkans in the European Union was reaffirmed. To mark this date, at the invitation of the Prime Minister of Greece, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, we had a dinner with the leaders of the Western Balkan countries in the presence of the President of the European Commission, Ms. Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Council, Mr. Charles Michel, and Prime Ministers of Croatia, Romania and Bulgaria, as well as with the participation of Moldova and Ukraine.
The President of Ukraine, Volodomyr Zelenskyy, was a participant in this meeting with the Western Balkans, in which case we issued a joint statement. This statement, among other things, calls for unwavering support for the independence and territorial integrity of Ukraine; the punishment of crimes committed during the war and the call for responsibility to the perpetrators of the crimes.
Meanwhile, at the joint dinner we had, I emphasized that the membership of the Republic of Kosovo in the European Union has no alternative. That all countries aspiring to EU membership must implement democracy, the rule of law, respect for human rights and good neighborliness; and that for good, democratic and European neighborliness, mutual recognition, de-jure, de-facto, as well as the rights of minorities symmetrically and according to European conventions is necessary.
In the bilateral meetings with the Prime Minister of Greece, the President of the European Commission and the Prime Minister of Croatia, I emphasized the economic and democratic progress of Kosovo, as well as the importance of the full and unconditional implementation of the Basic Agreement. De-escalation in the four municipalities in the north of the country has practically happened, while Kosovo is respecting the Bratislava agreement.
On the eve of the Berlin Summit in Tirana this October, the meeting in Athens, with the participation of President Zelenskyy, contributes to regional cooperation and the process of integration into the European Union. For Kosovo, the participation in Athens and the high-level meetings in the Maximos palace constitute another step towards the advancement of relations between the Republic of Kosovo and Greece.
In the bilateral meetings and at the joint dinner, I also emphasized that:
The de-escalation in the four municipalities in the north is the result, on the one hand, of the arrest of the violent elements who attacked our police, KFOR soldiers and journalists, as well as, on the other hand, the departure of some of the violent extremists to Serbia. Two months have passed since the last serious incident was recorded, and even longer since there were violent protests.
Re-escalation must now be prevented. When there are no violent protests planned, organized by official Belgrade, there is no escalation in the north of Kosovo. Kosovo is also strictly implementing the agreement reached in Bratislava on July 10 of this year.
In the rocky hills of Athens, 25 centuries ago, democracy was born. So in the city of the Acropolis and the Parthenon yesterday and the day before yesterday we called against the aggression of the war for peace, justice and a United Europe.
Thank you!
Last modified: August 23, 2023