Prishtina, 03.05.2013
At the invitation of President of the Center for Strategic Studies (TASAM) and the Prefect of the city of Edirne, Deputy Prime Minister of the Government, Ms. Edita Tahiri participated as a key speaker at the International Forum for the Balkans, held in Edirne Turkey from May 1 through May 3, 2013. The theme of this forum was” Multidimensional Regional Integration / Cooperation Vision 2013” which was attended by popular figured from the political, academic and civil society from the region and Europe.
In her speech on this event, among others, Deputy Prime Minister Tahiri stressed that Kosovo is committed to Euro-Atlantic future and committed to regional cooperation as a strategy for strengthening peace, stability and development and upgrading of the road to the EU and NATO. Since the end of wars and tragedies chapter with the international intervention in 1999, a new paradigm of actors, processes and goals has been set in the Balkans. The seven new states that emerged from the disintegration of former Yugoslavia, including Kosovo as the newest country, have progressed to different levels in their consolidation of democratic states as well as European integration. There is still much work to be done, and challenges of these countries related to economic development and job growth, strengthening the rule of law and combating negative phenomena and thus, regional cooperation is likely to be used to cooperate for peace and development.
In particular, Deputy Prime Minister Tahiri stressed that in order to have a lasting peace in the Balkans, the new realities should be recognized in the region and countries should respect each other and cooperate with the European principles of good neighbourliness and non-interference in internal affairs each other. In this context, it praised the agreement on normalization of interstate relations between Kosovo and Serbia, which gives an end to the illegal intrusion of Serbia into Kosovo, which contributes to strengthening peace and security in the region. She also invited the five member countries of the EU to recognize Kosovo’s independence as a necessary contribution to peace and stability in the region.
The main topics that were discussed at this conference were the political, economic and social factors that are affecting key in the process of integration and cooperation in the region, where representatives of the academic and political spectrum offered their interesting views on these issues.
The conference was intended to contribute to the process of sustainable cooperation between the countries of the Balkans, especially in states emerging from the breakup of the former Yugoslavia, which continues to face ethnic tensions, which should not be underestimated but are to be rightfully address for the best of regional stability and security.
In honour of the visit of Deputy Prime Minister Edita Tahiri in the city of Edirne, Mr. Mayor City. Duruer Hasan hosted a reception with the highest official ceremonies where after the march of the police guard and signing the guest of senior officials, they also held a friendly meeting at the Prefecture of the city.
At this meeting, prefect Duruer expressed his satisfaction for the close cooperation between the Republic of Kosovo and Turkey, as well as their willingness to continue in the future by strengthen cooperation, including that of inter-municipal levels. He praised the contribution of Albanians in history of development of turkey and stressed that a large number of Albanians continue living in Edirne since the times when they are forced to abandon their lands. Mrs. Tahiri praised the excellent level of relations between the two countries as well as between the Albanian and Turkish people and expressed her gratitude for the continuous support from Turkey.
In particular, she praised the contribution of the city of Edirne to Kosovo, taking into account that a large number of students from Kosovo study in this city, but also cooperation in the field of health, culture and other aspects. The interlocutors discussed the possibilities of twinning of municipalities, as they proposed the idea of a twinning between Edirne and Prizren, as these cities renowned in terms of their cultural and historical significance.
Also, during the official visit to Turkey, Kosovo Deputy Prime Minister Edita Tahiri had a visit at Kırklareli city, this city who had provided shelter to thousands of Kosovo Albanian refugees in time of war. In this city, she was received by the city mayor Mustafa Yaman and visited a refugee camp. Deputy Prime Minister Tahiri thanked them on behalf of the Government of Kosovo for the generosity of the city and its leadership, saying “Kırklareli city will have its place of honor in the history of our struggle for freedom, because it opened its doors to accommodate the thousands of citizen violently expelled from various countries in the Kosovo war. “Mayor Jaman said that this visit with a thankful character from some senior representative of the state of Kosovo marks history for our city.
Continuing with her visit, Deputy Prime Minister Tahiri visited the camp Gazi Osman Pasha of the municipality of Kırklareli which sheltered about 12,000 citizens of Kosovo who were forcefully expelled by Serbian forces during the period 1998/99. The Police Director of Kirkaleri city, Hüseyin Aktaş, spoke about the camp activities and its work during that period, who informed us that the refugees have remained in the refugee camp from three months up to two years.
Deputy Prime Minister Tahiri also visited the public University of Kırklareli where in a meeting with Rector Mustafa Aykac they discussed the possibilities of cooperation and exchange of experiences between the two countries in the field of education.
Last modified: July 31, 2022