New York, 22 September 2026
As part of the High-Level Week of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly, the Prime Minister of the Republic of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, accompanied by First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Diaspora Glauk Konjufca, met with the Prime Minister of Croatia, Andrej Plenković.
Full statement by Prime Minister Kurti:
Today, we began the day with a meeting with the Prime Minister of Croatia, Andrej Plenković, a partner country of the Republic of Kosovo and a friendly country to the people of Kosovo.
In addition to security and defence, areas in which we already have excellent cooperation, we aim to deepen our economic and trade relations. This year, Kosovo recorded economic growth of 5.4% in the first quarter and 4.1% in the second quarter. In addition to sustained economic growth, with the economy expected to exceed €12 billion this year, compared with €7 billion in the first year of our government, we have strengthened the rule of law and made democratic progress.
As two countries that fought for liberation and independence from the same regime, that of Milošević, it is well known who committed crimes during the four wars in the former Yugoslavia. The just war of the people of Kosovo was a clean war of liberation against Serbia’s genocidal regime. Therefore, I emphasized that the judgment of the Specialist Chambers is not only inaccurate, but also unjust and harsh.
In addition to denying and concealing the crimes committed in Kosovo, Serbia continues to keep its archives closed and classified, the opening of which is essential for establishing the fate of those forcibly disappeared during the war, as well as for truth and justice. Meanwhile, our northern neighbour continues, systematically, the administrative ethnic cleansing of the Albanian community in the Presheva Valley through the deactivation of addresses and exclusion from institutions.
With Croatia, we have increased military cooperation, including in the field of defence, for which I expressed my appreciation during the meeting. Emphasizing the importance of Kosovo’s membership in the Adriatic Charter, I thanked Croatia for its continued and unwavering support for the process of European and Euro-Atlantic integration, as well as for addressing common security challenges in the region.
