New York, 22 September 2026
As part of the High-Level Week of the United Nations General Assembly, Prime Minister of the Republic of Kosovo Albin Kurti met with the United Kingdom’s Special Envoy for the Western Balkans, Dame Karen Pierce, in New York, United States of America.
Full statement by Prime Minister Kurti:
Today, I also met with the United Kingdom’s Special Envoy for the Western Balkans, Dame Karen Pierce. We discussed political and security developments, Kosovo–Serbia relations, the Albanians in the Presheva Valley, and our country’s Euro-Atlantic perspective.
I thanked her for the United Kingdom’s clear stance against the glorification of convicted war criminals and expressed my appreciation for its unwavering support for Kosovo’s sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity.
I expressed concern over the severe and unjust sentences handed down at first instance by the Specialist Chambers against former KLA leaders. The proceedings have not yet concluded, and we expect the appeal proceedings to address the injustice and shortcomings of this judgment.
Our relationship with the United Kingdom is rooted in a shared history of liberation and state-building, as well as in our common Euro-Atlantic future. Kosovo’s membership in the Council of Europe, its status as an EU candidate country, and deepening cooperation in security and defence were also part of today’s discussion with Ms. Pierce.
As Dame Karen celebrates her birthday tomorrow, I was pleased to extend my birthday wishes to her in advance and present her with a memento from the Republic of Kosovo.
