Pristina, 4 July 2023
Dear Prime Minister Rutte,
Dear Prime Minister Bettel,
Ladies and gentleman,
Today, I had the honor and pleasure to receive the Prime Minister of the Netherlands and the Prime Minister of Luxembourg here at the Government of the Republic of Kosovo, during these important times for democracy and security, peace in our region and the continent.
On behalf of the people of Kosovo, I thanked both prime ministers for their joint visit. Our countries enjoy excellent relations, which are always getting closer. We are grateful for the support of the Netherlands and Luxembourg during these years, for our freedom and independence, for democratic and economic progress.
Your support for economic development and democratic advancement has helped us improve the business environment, enhance the capacity of our public administration, strengthen the justice system, as well as civil society.
In the first two years of our government, we ranked first in the Western Balkans for improvement in:
– the rule of law from the World Justice Project (World Justice Project),
– political rights and civil liberties from Freedom House,
– the fight against corruption by Transparency International,
– freedom of press according to Reporters Without Borders,
– liberal and electoral democracy according to the V-Dem Institute,
– the collection of tax revenues, according to the International Monetary Fund, as well as
– the largest fiscal package as a percentage of our gross domestic product, according to the World Bank.
We have had two successful years in terms of democratic progress, as well as economic development. We achieved an impressive economic growth rate of an average of 7.35 percent, while we have reduced the export-import ratio from 1:9 to 1:6. During the two years of investments, exports and foreign direct investments have doubled and what we have added to the economy in one year equals to what once took more than three years to achieve.
In terms of foreign policy, we are fully aligned with Article 21 of the European Union Treaty, as well as with the common foreign and security policy of the European Union.
We also enjoy good economic and trade relations with the Netherlands and Luxembourg, which we can further improve. We already talked about this in our meeting. In the last three years, our trade relations with the Netherlands have increased, with exports up by 33.2 percent, while with Luxembourg by 15 percent. Even though this is from a low base, it is important therefore for us to move together more and faster.
We have 153 registered businesses from the Netherlands in Kosovo and there are also dozens from Luxembourg.
We have a dynamic Information Technology sector, with TIK service exports increasing by 113% compared to the previous year in 2022, and we rank first in the Western Balkans according to the “Future of IT Report” in the Competitiveness, Technology, and Information Index. So, taking into account the increase in the number of Dutch companies in the fields of Technology, Information and Communication that operate and do business in Kosovo, I officially invited Prime Minister Rutte to plan a the Netherlands-Kosovo conference for Information Technology.
Kosovo also has great potential for investment in agriculture. There are four areas, as you know, where we have increased the budget: agriculture, defense, healthcare and education. I also thanked the Prime Ministers who, in addition to the ongoing assistance so far in Kosovo, have also helped us on the international stage for Kosovo’s membership, as was the case for overcoming the first obstacle for membership in the Council of Europe and visa liberalization for Kosovo.
Also, I asked for their assistance regarding the NATO program, Partnership for Peace, and to move forward towards receiving the questionnaire from the European Commission regarding EU membership where we have already submitted our official application.
Regarding the dialogue for the normalization of relations with Serbia, I have emphasized that Kosovo is committed to good neighborly relations. We desire European solutions and for this we have the basic agreement of February 27 and the Implementation Annex of 17 March, which we want to be fully implemented without delay and without conditions.
Democracies stand together in solidarity against autocracies. The democratic progress of Kosovo is not only an opportunity for our state and society but also for the European Union to push forward the reforms and transformation of the Western Balkans.
Dear Prime Minister Rutte,
Dear Prime Minister Bettel,
Thank you for honoring us with your visit. You are always welcome in the Republic of Kosovo.
Dank je wel!
Merci!
Last modified: July 5, 2023