Skopje, 26 April 2023 (MIA) – Not only are we geographical neighbors with North Macedonia, but we also share the same values and challenges. EU and NATO are where we want to be together. These two systems of values are a model that we should apply in our country and our region, said Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani Sadriu in her address to the Macedonian Parliament on Wednesday.

“Our region has experienced a lot of tribulations and has a painful past, but it also has an optimistic future. We need to maintain optimism and belief, because we belong in the EU and there is no other alternative. There is no dilemma, the Euro-Atlantic structures are our goal,” said Osmani Sadriu.

She stressed that Kosovo and North Macedonia are cooperating in the EU integration process with the aim of stability and joint prosperity. She added that recently Kosovo was granted visa liberalization, after a process which was prolonged but was ultimately realized thanks to the support of North Macedonia among others.

“This opened a new chapter in our Euro-Atlantic integration. Now the goal is integration within the EU and the largest military alliance the world has ever seen – NATO. We will work a lot, and we had an opportunity to learn from North Macedonia’s experience. There are no doubts that North Macedonia will stand side by side with Kosovo, not only in the EU and NATO accession processes, but also in other international organizations,” said the Kosovo President, voicing her satisfaction with the opportunity to address the Parliament of, she said, “Kosovo’s first neighbor.”

In the context of global developments, Osmani Kadriu stressed that Kosovo and North Macedonia are on the side of justice, democracy and on the side of Ukraine. She noted that Kosovo and North Macedonia were among the first countries to impose sanctions on Russia because of its aggression on Ukraine, adding that the support for Ukraine will continue for as long as there is no freedom and peace in the country.

Osmani Sadriu assessed that the future cooperation between Kosovo and North Macedonia has great potential and is based on respect.

She voiced her gratitude for the solidarity of the “Albanians and citizens of North Macedonia”, who, she said, opened their hearts and homes and provided shelter for many citizens of Kosovo during “the dark days of Slobodan Milošević’s era in 1998 and 1999.”

The President of Kosovo underlined that the Albanian people living in North Macedonia are and will always remain a bridge bringing the two countries together, and she highlighted their contribution to “the establishment of the Republic of Macedonia in the past and its European perspective now.”

“They hold management positions and have greater access to the state institutions, but there is always room to do more,” said Osmani Sadriu.

Osmani Sadriu also spoke about the cooperation between the two countries in several areas, the importance of the use of the Albanian language to the protection of identity which enables full integration of the Albanians within the country, and especially about the potential for economic cooperation and trade exchange. The President of Kosovo also underscored the importance of infrastructure connections – the construction of the “Arben Xhaferi” motorway, named after, she said “a political icon in the country”, and expressed her hopes that the construction of the section of the Blace-Skopje motorway will be completed soon as well.

The Kosovo President said that North Macedonia also means a lot to Kosovo because the agreement over the annex for the implementation of the European Agreement on the path to normalization of relations between Kosovo and Serbia was reached in Ohrid.

“Kosovo values goodneighborly relations highly, and the country’s relations with North Macedonia are exemplary. Which is why we should continue to be good neighbors, to serve as an example for the region and beyond. Today we meet in Skopje, but I hope in the near future, with North Macedonia and with the Western Balkan region, we will meet in Brussels, in the cradle of the EU. As much as we want to make our countries European, we are divided by borders, but Europe will bring us together. God bless the friendship between Kosovo and North Macedonia,” said Kosovo President Osmani Sadriu.

Earlier on Wednesday, Osmani Sadriu met with Parliamentary Speaker Talat Xhaferi.

As part of her official visit to North Macedonia, the President of Kosovo held a meeting with her host, President Stevo Pendarovski, who welcomed her with the highest state and military honors. After a joint press conference, the two laid wreaths on Goce Delchev’s tomb in Skopje.

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