After his contacts in North Macedonia, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan visited Kosovo and held a joint press conference with Kosovo Foreign and Diaspora Minister Donika Gervalla-Schwarz. Minister Fidan emphasized that the terrorist organization FETÖ is also a threat to Kosovo and said, “FETÖ must be fought decisively for the security and prosperity of Kosovo.”
Foreign Minister Fidan met with Kosovo Foreign and Diaspora Minister Gervalla-Schwarz in Pristina, where he was holding official talks. Following the meeting, Fidan held a joint press conference with his Kosovar counterpart. Emphasizing that FETÖ was also a threat to Kosovo, Fidan said, “We also discussed the issue of combating terrorism with my esteemed counterpart. The steps that need to be taken against the FETÖ terrorist organization were discussed. Unfortunately, the FETÖ presence in Kosovo continues to worry us. I would like to remind you that FETÖ is also a threat to Kosovo. FETÖ must be fought resolutely for the security and prosperity of Kosovo. At the same time, our friendship and brotherhood also require this.”
‘Our political dialogue is at an excellent level’
Minister Fidan stated that Turkey-Kosovo political relations are at an excellent level, but security issues should also be placed within an institutional framework. Fidan made the following statements:
The Kosovars are not only our friends, but also our brothers. We want to reflect the unwavering ties between us in our bilateral relations in the best way possible. Our goal is to provide a comprehensive strategic vision to our relations. We see security, politics and economy as the three pillars of our cooperation. Our political dialogue is already at an excellent level. We want to take advantage of this and address our security issues with a long-term approach and now place them within an institutional framework. The signing of the Security Cooperation Agreement between Turkey and Kosovo will be the first step in this. On the other hand, we will also strengthen our economic cooperation. In the upcoming period, we aim to increase our trade volume to 1 billion euros. Turkish companies’ investments in Kosovo have reached 500 million euros. Our companies provide employment to approximately 10 thousand Kosovar brothers. However, these figures are never enough for our President. He wants us to invest more, especially in the economic and commercial fields, employment and investment fields. Our companies want to increase their investments here. There are also some problems our companies face here. I conveyed our expectations on these issues to the Minister.”
‘KFOR is critical for security’
Minister Fidan emphasized that the NATO-Kosovo Peace Force KFOR is of critical importance for establishing security in the region and said, “We also had the opportunity to discuss the recent important developments in the Balkans. We talked about what can be done to ensure permanent stability in the region. As Turkey, we attach great importance to the independent and sovereign Republic of Kosovo standing on its own two feet. We have supported Kosovo to reach the position it deserves in the international arena since the very beginning. I would like to emphasize once again on this occasion that our support will always continue. Ensuring security and stability in Kosovo is also of great importance for establishing permanent peace and stability in the entire Balkans. The NATO-Kosovo Force KFOR, whose command we have assumed, has an extremely critical and important role in establishing security in the region. It is a source of pride for us to see our KFOR Commander successfully carry out his duty. We are also pleased to see that our KFOR Commander has earned the appreciation of all segments.”
‘Pristina-Belgrade dialogue is extremely important’
Fidan stated that the problems between Kosovo and Serbia can be solved through dialogue, and said, “As security issues improve, more space is opened up for dialogue and diplomacy. In this context, we believe that the problems between Kosovo and Serbia can only be solved through dialogue. We fully support efforts to achieve normalization between the two countries. The Pristina-Belgrade dialogue process is extremely important in this respect. If a request is made by the parties, I would like to state here that Turkey will not hesitate to assume responsibility in this regard. As you know, Turkey also provides support to the Kosovo Security Force in education and defense industry. Our military and defense industry cooperation will continue strongly in the coming period.”
Minister Hakan Fidan also met with Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani Sadriu and Prime Minister Albin Kurti.
