Prishtina, 29 September 2022
The first Deputy Prime Minister for European Integration, Development and Dialogue of the Republic of Kosovo, Besnik Bislimi, hosted the Foreign Minister of the Czech Republic, Jan Lipavský.
This is the first official visit of Minister Lipavský to the Republic of Kosovo. At the beginning of the meeting, gratitude was mentioned for the Czech Republic, as one of the first countries to recognize Kosovo’s independence. The parties discussed the importance of unity, a united Europe in overcoming common challenges affecting security, energy, and the effects caused by unjustified Russian aggression in Ukraine. Gratitude was expressed to Kosovo for the coordination of the foreign policy regarding the Russian aggression in Ukraine and the clear positioning.
Deputy Prime Minister Bislimi appreciated the reaffirmed support of the Czech Republic for membership in the Council of Europe and further spoke about Kosovo’s European agenda, especially the need for visa liberalization and informed him about the objective for applying for EU membership within this year. Regarding the liberalization of visas, it was said that this one step towards integration processes and it is the priority of the Czech President to postpone this process.
Beyond the difficulties and challenges, Kosovo has recorded a significant economic growth of 10.7% during the past year, progress in the implementation of reforms within the European agenda, in democratization, the rule of law and the fight against corruption and organized crime. Also, the positive ranking of Kosovo in Transparency International, the World Index of Justice, the World Index of Freedom of the Press and V-Dem, is an indicator of our new history, of a consolidated democracy.
Regarding regional cooperation, Mr. Bislimi emphasized that Kosovo is maximally engaged in building good neighborly relations and is an active and constructive party in the dialogue with Serbia, committed to reaching a permanent, legally binding agreement, centered on mutual recognition.
At the end of the meeting, was voiced the joint call regarding deepening bilateral relations, economic cooperation and overcoming common challenges such as successful crisis and inflation.
Last modified: September 30, 2022