TIRANA, October 18 – Croatian President Zoran Milanovic said that the friendship between the countries is very old and that the Albanian minority in Croatia is a bridge for the two countries.
Milanovic, who addressed Albania’s Assembly on Wednesday, said that Croatia and Albania have strengthened their relations more than ever, even since the alliance in NATO. He added that this cooperation is evident in many areas, especially economically because the commercial exchange has increased by 60%.
“Thank you for your warm hospitality in your wonderful country. Our two friendly and allied countries share cultural, historical, geographical and political ties. Our friendship goes back a long way and close relations were confirmed when necessary during the defense of the independence war in Croatia. Many Albanians got involved at that time and for that we are very grateful. Albanian minorities in our country are very active, they are a bridge between us, they are an excellent example of how a minority can serve as a bridge between two countries,” he declared in his speech.
Regarding Kosovo in a joint media conference with President Begaj, Milanovic said that he may be the only non-Albanian who raised his voice in New York for Kosovo to be recognized. Milanovic said that it is a fact that all of Europe knows Kosovo, but does not want to mention it, and for him, this is something harmful for the states.
“The fact is that I am among the only ones, or that is not Albanian, that I have done this in New York and this has to do with the call to accept Kosovo. This tells me as a fact that the whole of Europe knows it but doesn’t want to mention it, that’s fine, it’s not honest and that’s bad for us in the long run.
He further said that Serbia has supported the September 24 terrorist attack in the north of Kosovo, but despite this, it has not received the right response and the Croatian president described this reaction as a wrong decision-making.
The Croatian president also said that Serbia has stalled in negotiations and added that it has supported the armed uprising in Kosovo.
For his part President Bajram Begaj condemned the September 24 attack in the north of Kosovo in the press conference with the Croatian president. Begaj said that things are no longer the same between Kosovo and Serbia and called for the dialogue negotiators between the two countries to have a new approach. /argumentum.al
