Ahmetaj: The messages from Paris and the European Union were clear – implementation of the Brussels Agreement and reforms

Former Kosovo Minister for European Integration Mimoza Ahmetaj assessed that the recent visit of the French Foreign Minister to Kosovo was an important political signal, but stressed that the messages conveyed by Paris and the European Union were clear: implementation of the Brussels Agreement and the acceleration of reforms.

Speaking to Klan Kosova TV, Ahmetaj said she had expected the visit to provide a concrete response to the requests made by Kosovo's acting Prime Minister Albin Kurti during his meeting with the French Foreign Minister in October last year, including the request that Kosovo be granted ioEU candidate status.

According to her, although there was no direct response to that request, the repeated calls by EU member states for the implementation of the Brussels Agreement and the acceleration of reforms are not new.

Ahmetaj said that the aspect which attracted her attention most was the appeal to preserve political pluralism in Kosovo.

"What particularly caught my attention was the call to preserve political pluralism in Kosovo. This is the first time I have heard or seen such wording in a document or statement issued by a senior European official. Moreover, Kosovo's Constitution and all applicable laws already guarantee political pluralism. Kosovo is a parliamentary republic, and political pluralism has never been under threat. That is why such a statement attracted my attention and prompted me to better understand what it actually means," Ahmetaj said.

The former Minister for European Integration also emphasized the importance for Kosovo of the agreements that were signed, France's continued support for Kosovo, and particularly the €60 million allocated for projects covered by those agreements.

"French funding will support projects in the fields of energy, education, and the organization of the Mediterranean Games, providing Kosovo with financial and institutional support despite the loss of European funding," Ahmetaj said.