North Macedonia’s Foreign Minister Bujar Osmani, who is paying a visit to the Republic of Kosovo on Friday met with his counterpart Donika Gërvalla-Schwarz.
At a joint press conference at the Kosovo’s Foreign Ministry, Osmani and Gërvalla-Schwarz rejected any idea of change of borders in the region, which is very dangerous and underlined the importance of cooperation between neighbours, MIA’s Pristina correspondent reported.
Responding to a journalist’s question about Slovenia’s alleged non-paper on “finally resolving” national issues in the Western Balkans through border changes, Osmani said the only alternative for the region was its NATO membership and European Union integration.
“We must not fall into that trap, because that document, which was allegedly authored by the Slovenian Prime Minister, was denied by Slovenia and I think it is wrong to associate it with that country. The only alternative is NATO expansion for peace and integration into the European Union,” Osmani said.
Gërvalla-Schwarz said that the just saying about these ideas poses a threat to the stability of the region.
“It is dangerous when such ideas appear, including separation among ethnic lines, so it is quite clear that this document is insignificant for us, but it is very dangerous, as it encourages conflicts,” Gërvalla-Schwarz noted.
Both ministers assessed the relations between North Macedonia and Kosovo as exceptionally good and said that they need to be further strengthened.
Osmani briefed on the content of the talks with his counterpart, as well as on activities of the Government of North Macedonia in the direction of regional connectivity.
“I am pleased that the cooperation between the two sovereign and democratic states is good, for creating a deep and solid friendship, because it opens opportunities for both countries. We talked about very specific issues and the focus was on economic topics, strengthening infrastructure ties, facilitating the transport of goods. I informed about the works on the highway from Skopje to the border with Kosovo, as well as our project for connection of Blace, through Skopje, Tetovo, Kichevo, Struga and Kjafasan, which will complete Corridor 8,” Osmani said.
FM Osmani said that Skopje is ready to share NATO membership and EU integration experiences with Pristina.
“North Macedonia, as a NATO member, fully supports the Euro-Atlantic perspective of the Republic of Kosovo. I voiced satisfaction that this year members of the North Macedonia’s Army are part of KFOR. Our ambition is the full integration of the six countries of the Western Balkans into the EU and as an EU candidate country, we are ready to share all our experiences so far in that direction with Kosovo,” Osmani underlined.
Osmani added that North Macedonia supports efforts of resolution of all open issues in the region, including the dialogue between Pristina and Belgrade, that will lead to mutual recognition between the two countries.
“The Republic of North Macedonia supports the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia and believes that its ultimate goal should be the mutual recognition between the two countries and the European path of the entire region,” Osmani said.
Kosovo’s foreign minister Gërvalla-Schwarz said the cooperation between the two countries is an example of regional cooperation, and stressed that their common goal is EU membership.
“North Macedonia is among the strategic partners, with which we have signed around 30 cooperation agreements. Two countries are an example of cooperation and good neighborliness, setting a good example for the entire region. Kosovo and North Macedonia are moving in the same direction, and that is EU integration,” Gërvalla-Schwarz stated.
