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TIRANA, August 15 – Following the tradition of other leaders of Albania, President Bajram Begaj made his first official visit to Kosovo, where he was received in an official ceremony by his counterpart Vjosa Osmani, with whom he also had a tete-a-tete meeting on Monday.
In a joint press conference with Osmani, he considered Kosovo as the home of the Albanians and at the same time expressed his first public reservations towards the European institutions regarding the delays for the integration of Kosovo.
“The liberalization of visas for the citizens of Kosovo is a delayed promise because they should enjoy this right like all other citizens of the region,” said Begaj. He emphasized that Albania strongly supports Kosovo’s membership in NATO.
In the meantime he expressed reservations about Dick Marty’s report approved by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe several years ago. “No fictional report that tries to stain the blood and self-sacrifice of Albanians in defense of freedom, flag and national identity will ever manage to blacken this glorious heritage.”
Begaj evaluated the way how the situation of July 31 was managed in the case of the placement of barricades by the Serbs in the north of Kosovo, while emphasizing that the US formula is the best for Kosovo and Serbia to put an end to their conflict.
For her part, President Osmani said that it is important that Kosovo and Albania have a treaty for common defense. “It is time to take appropriate steps in this direction. There is and cannot be equivalence between the two sides, when Serbia is the one that is using war-mongering rhetoric in relation to Kosovo, but also actions that violate peace and stability. I hope that the European Union will be more vocal in relation to the destabilizing actions of Serbia,” said Osmani.
Further, the head of the Albanian state was received by the Speaker of the Parliament, Glauk Konjufca, and held a meeting with the Prime Minister, Albin Kurti.
Begaj greeted the commitment of the two governments for the development of a National Assembly on November 28, 2022, a moment that, according to him, will convey to the entire Albanian people and the international community messages of the unity of the Albanian factor and their aspirations for development, peace and the best democratic values.
In the meeting with Prime Minister Kurti and Speaker Konjufca, the Head of State emphasized that the joint primer will be ready for the 110th anniversary of Albania’s independence and work will be done on the major project of the Albanian Encyclopedia.
The President of Albania paid tribute at the grave of former President Ibrahim Rugova, and then at the martyrs’ cemetery in Prekaz, where the remains of the Jashari family rest.
/Argumentum.al
