Kurti on dialogue with Belgrade: Mutual recognition as essence, reciprocity as principle

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti said at today's session of the Self-Determination Movement Board that Kosovo was committed to dialogue with Serbia and that the current status of Kosovo-Serbia relations was not normal, Koha reports.

"When it comes to relations with Serbia, we participated in meetings in Brussels whenever we were invited, and we hosted special envoys whenever they came. We have been and will be dedicated, constructive, principled, and creative. The dialogue in Brussels is a dialogue for the normalization of relations between Kosovo and Serbia, it is a dialogue about the status of relations. The current state of relations is not normal, and good neighborliness is the normal state. So, mutual recognition as the essence, and reciprocity as a principle," Kurti stated two days before the meeting with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic in Brussels.

Kurti said that German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron had made it clear that without the recognition of Kosovo's independence, there was no European integration for neighboring countries, as reported by Klan Kosova.

He criticized the Open Balkan initiative, claiming that it did not expect Kosovo to be equal.

"But we have been proactive about initiatives like the Berlin Process. In Berlin, after almost two years of negotiations, three agreements were signed in November 2022, which were ratified by the Assembly two days ago, thus showing our seriousness in regional and European integration. Kosovo is a democratic country that will always show constructiveness and energy, with the only condition being that it is treated with respect and equality with others," Kurti said.

Speaking about the liberalization of visas for Kosovo citizens, he said he expected it to happen on January 1, 2024, as had been publicly promised.

Kurti also spoke about his party's rule for two years, Koha reported.

"In three weeks, it will be two years since we started to govern, and we are reaching half of our mandate. That's two full years of work, despite the difficulties the whole world is going through. No government during free Kosovo has faced such difficulties of a global nature," Kurti said, expressing his pride that, as he said, there had been no corruption scandals during his mandate.