In his speech at the plenary session of the 13th Berlin Process Summit, which is being held in Montenegro, which he has made public on social networks, Kurti has said Kosovo is the only country in the Western Balkans that still does not have that status.
We’ve done what was ours to do. Kosovo’s application has been waiting, since December 2022, for a decision that belongs exclusively to the EU. Until then, we remain the only state in the Western Balkans without candidate status, Kurti said.
He called on European leaders to seek the European Commission’s opinion on Kosovo’s application and advance its integration process.
According to Kurti, buying stability at the expense of neighbouring democracies has witnessed dangerous myths, because, as he said, those who create instability cannot guarantee stability.
The prime minister said Kosovo stands up to the democratic values of the European Union and that independent estimates rank among countries with the greatest democratic progress in Southeast Europe.
He stressed that Kosovo has implemented all EU sanctions against Russia since the first day, underlining the country’s European orientation.
Kurti also spoke of the benefits of gradual integration into the European market, citing SEPA membership, facilitating trade through green corridors and lowering communication costs through the Role Like initiative at Home.
According to him, the SEPA is expected to spare Kosovo’s citizens and citizens around 58m euros annually.
In his speech, Kurti also stopped at security in the region, citing the terrorist attack on Banjska, where Kosovo Police Sergeant Africa Bulnjak was killed, as well as the explosion in Iber-Lepenci channel in Varag.
He said attacks on critical infrastructure and democratic institutions should be addressed as issues affecting the security of all of Europe.
Kurti mentioned Milan Radociqi, whom he named responsible for the attack on Banjska, saying he continues to be free and protected from the Serbian state apparatus.
“Sulmi to a European democracy is an attack on all of Europe and deserves collective answers, because the response that happens to be built is not preventative. For Kosovo, NATO membership also brings prevention, Kurti said.
The prime minister also called attention to countries participating in the Berlin Process for minority rights in the region, isolating the position of Albanians in the Presevo Valley.
He said Albanians in this part of Serbia are gradually being pushed outside institutions and public life, making their stay in their homeland increasingly difficult.
Kurti stressed that human dignity and human rights should be among the fundamental values that divide countries in the region and the European Union.
In conclusion, he praised the importance of the Berlin Process as a regional co-operation mechanism and an opportunity for advancing the European integration of Western Balkan countries.
Source Layer: RTKLive