Prishtina, 13 October 2023
The Prime Minister of the Republic of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, welcomed in his office, the two American senators, Jeanne Shaheen from New Hampshire and Peter Welch from Vermont.
Initially, Prime Minister Kurti thanked the two senators for their visit, who were accompanied by the American ambassador to Kosovo, Jeffrey Hovenier, and for the solidarity shown with our country and people after the terrorist attack of September 24, as well as for the long-standing and continuous support towards Kosovo.
He underlined the evidence gathered so far which undeniably proves the involvement of the state of Serbia in the paramilitary attack of Sunday, September 24, in the early morning of which fell in the line of duty, the sergeant of the Kosovo Police and Hero of Kosovo, Afrim Bunjaku, as well as evidence proving that the attack was part of a larger plan aimed at annexing the north of Kosovo.
In the media statement after the meeting, regarding the dialogue process mediated by the European Union, Prime Minister Kurti stated that it cannot continue as if nothing had happened, and the next chapter of the dialogue for normalization must take into account the aggressive action of Serbia and its exposed goal of annexing the northern part of Kosovo. For the dialogue to have any chance of success, in addition to the sanctions against Serbia, the prime minister added, it is extremely important that the approach is balanced, that the Basic Agreement and its annex are respected and implemented, and that Serbia backs down from the public and factual rejection of the parts of the Basic Agreement that deal with the de-facto recognition of Kosovo and its territorial integrity.
The senators thanked Prime Minister Kurti for the constructive conversation. As Senator Shaheen said in her statement to the media after the meeting, they had plans to visit the region and when they heard about the attack in Bansjka of Zveçan they wanted to come to Kosovo to express their condolences to the family of the murdered policeman. She said that it is very important that those who were responsible for the attack be held accountable before the law and that Serbia should cooperate in the ongoing investigations.
Senator Shaheen considered as positive the increase in the number of KFOR troops and as important in the defense of Kosovo’s borders. Among other things, she said that the model and support of the Government and Prime Minister Kurti for human rights and the rule of law is very important for all countries in the region and that the United States of America shares the same values.
The footage from the meeting https://mab.to/t/A93KPWqASyt/eu1
Last modified: October 16, 2023