Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani proposed on Wednesday to the UK Foreign Secretary, David Lammy, the conclusion of a defense and economic agreement between the two countries.
Lammy is on an official visit to Kosovo, as part of a tour of the Western Balkans, which, according to the UK Government, has the key aim of strengthening cooperation in combating irregular immigration and serious organised crime.
Osmani said, in a joint press conference with Lammy, that she discussed with the British chief diplomat the "strategic deepening of cooperation" between Kosovo and the United Kingdom, which, according to her, "will particularly cover the fields of defense and the economy."
The Kosovo President announced that she had "extensive" discussions with Lammy, who welcomed the idea of deepening cooperation.
Osmani said that Kosovo authorities are committed to working with British authorities to shape the agreement so that it can be signed as soon as possible.
She has also called for a more active presence of the United Kingdom in Kosovo.
Lammy said that the Balkans is a region that matters to Britain today, just as it did when Tony Blair was prime minister.
He added that Britain "will continue to play the role of a key friend and partner" of Kosovo.
The British chief diplomat said that his country wants a "sustainable and peaceful normalization" between Kosovo and Serbia, while calling for Kosovo authorities to engage energetically in the dialogue with Serbia, mediated by the European Union.
Osmani said that "Kosovo remains a constructive party, committed to peace and stability, despite the fact that we constantly face obstructions and provocations from Serbia, including the successive attacks that began years ago and are still continuing, for which I want to mention again that it is necessary for Serbia to be accountable and hold the perpetrators accountable."
"But, unfortunately, we are seeing that there is no movement in this direction, neither regarding the act of aggression of September 2023, nor regarding the attack on 93 NATO soldiers, which occurred earlier, nor the recent terrorist acts that have occurred in the north of the country," she said.
Lammy said that Britain is a significant contributor to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) peacekeeping mission in Kosovo, KFOR, which, according to him, is "absolutely crucial" to Kosovo's security.
Kurti talks to Lammy about Radoicic
On Tuesday evening, the British chief diplomat was received in Pristina by the acting Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, and his Government ministers.
Kurti spoke with Lammy, among other things, about the current situation in the region and the geopolitical situation in Europe, as well as security issues, the Prime Minister's Office announced.
The acting head of the Kosovo executive "emphasized the fact that there is still no justice and accountability for the terrorist attack in Banjska, while Milan Radoićić roams free and protected by the Serbian state apparatus," the Prime Minister's Office statement said.
In September last year, the Kosovo Special Prosecution Office filed an indictment against 45 people - among them Milan Radoićić - for the armed attack on the Kosovo Police in Banjska on September 24, 2023, when Sergeant Afrim Bunjaku was killed.
Authorities in Serbia refuse to extradite Radoicic to Kosovo and say he will be tried by "Serbian courts," while officials in Kosovo say they have offered him protection.
Kurti added that Radoićić "should be extradited to Kosovo where he would face a fair trial for his actions."
Earlier, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Diaspora of Kosovo praised Lammy's visit to the country, saying that it "emphasizes the joint commitment to strengthening ties between the two states and advancing peace and stability in the region and beyond."
Lammy's Kosovar counterpart, Donika Gërvalla-Schwarz, briefed the British Foreign Secretary on, as stated in a statement by the MFA, "security challenges in the Balkans, including Serbia's destabilizing actions and Russian influence, which continue to endanger regional stability."
The MFA further stated that "the partnership between Kosovo and the United Kingdom will continue to strengthen and deepen, with a focus on improving cooperation in the fields of security, economy and international politics."
Also present at Lammy's meeting with the Kosovo government cabinet was the British Ambassador to Kosovo, Jonathan Hargreaves, who said that the friendship between Kosovo and Britain is long-standing and strong.
The British Foreign Secretary, after his stay in Kosovo, is also expected to visit Serbia, where, according to the British Government, a new cooperation agreement is expected to be signed to combat gangs at the center of the illegal immigration crisis and to secure the United Kingdom's borders.
The United Kingdom will host a meeting of Western Balkan leaders as part of the Berlin Process Summit in London this autumn, which, among other things, aims to support stability, security and economic cooperation between the countries of the region./ REL (A2 Televizion)
A2 CNN Livestream
MUND TE LEXONI GJITHASHTU
