Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti has demanded that Kosovo’s application for membership in the European Union be considered and the country begins membership negotiations.
As you make known Prime Minister’s Office, Kurti has submitted this request during an address and discussion at the Institute for International and European Affairs ( IIEA) in Dublin, Ireland, where he was invited to speak on the topic of Kosovo’s road: from citizenship towards European integration.
Kurti has stressed that Kosovo is the only country in the Western Balkans that has not yet received candidate status, although EU membership application has submitted it on 15 December 2022, during the Czech presidency of the EU Council.
Irland is the eighth presidency since then and we still remain the only country in the Western Balkans without candidate status. Our application must be assessed and we must start negotiations on membership. We’ve never asked for special treatment, just equal treatment, Kurti declared.
He has said that Kosovo has advanced in sharing laws, policies and institutions with European standards since the entry into force of the Stabilisation and Association Agreement in 2016.
According to him, the country has undertaken reforms in energy, public administration, employment and industrial development, while it has accelerated the green and digital transition.
Kurti has stressed that the European integration process should be fair and reliable, demanding that bilateral conflicts be addressed separately and not hinder progress in other areas.
Bilateral disputes should have their own chapter in the membership process so that an issue does not block progress in all other areas that improve the lives of citizens, he has said.
In his speech, the prime minister also talked about relations between Kosovo and Ireland, citing common values, diaspora importance and historical connection through Mother Teresa, who at the age of 18 had come to Dublin to join the Loreto Sisters.
He has expressed gratitude for recognising Kosovo’s independence from Ireland in 2008, the same month Kosovo declared independence.
Speaking of developments in the country, Kurti has cited democratic progress, economic growth and reforms undertaken by institutions. He has said that Kosovo’s economy during this decade has increased by an average of over four percent per year, despite pandemic, energy crisis and inflation.
In part of the security speech, Kurt has mentioned the terrorist attack in Zvecan Banjska on September 24, 2023, and the attack on critical infrastructure at Zubin Potok’s Varag on November 29, 2024.
He has said these attacks prove that Serbia continues to have aggressive approaches to Kosovo and poses a threat to national security.
responsibility is essential not only to justice but also to prevent future attacks, Kurti has declared.
The prime minister has reiterated that Kosovo aims at membership in the European Union and NATO, stressing that it is fully harmonised with the EU Joint Foreign and Security Policy, including sanctions against Russia and support for Ukraine.
At the end of the address, Kurti has voiced expectation that Ireland, during its presidency of the EU Council, and after its completion, support Kosovo’s path towards membership.
Source Layer: Dukeagini