Joint press conference by Prime Minister Edi Rama and Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti at the Palace of Brigades:
PM Edi Rama: Hello everyone!
Of course, apart from the protocol aspects and formalism, I would like to say it was a pleasure for us to welcome today the delegation headed by the newly-elected Prime Minister of Kosovo!
Dear Albin, welcome!
I am pleased that we had an open, important and intense communication about the current level of relations and the new heights we want to take our ties, aiming at a new speed in terms of cooperation in all areas and finding full mutual commitment and complete readiness.
We have agreed to immediately commence preparations for a joint session of the two governments, scheduled to take place in the city of Shkoder, since the last joint cabinet meeting was held in Peja and it was there where we agreed on hosting the meeting in Shkoder. A vacuum between the two joint sessions forces us to hold a more productive meeting and not only that, but at the same time, an interstate committee, comprising cabinet members, representatives of the parliamentary committees of both countries, will be established, tasked with monitoring implementation progress of the agreements, identifying their implementation-related problems and forward them to the joint meeting of the two governments in terms of both accomplishments and the needs for other decisions.
Together with the Prime Minister, we certainly discussed the Berlin Process and we will keep talking about ways to harmonize our actions and steps as part of the initiative to implement the four fundamental freedoms of the EU in our region, with cooperation with Kosovo remaining top priority for us. I’ve said it before, I told it to the Prime Minister today and I’ll say it publicly again that, for me, should we fail to materialize the free movement of people first and the full free movement of goods, capital and services later, then we have failed in dealing with our duty and responsibility to future and our people. It is essential for us to be ready, committed and clear about any steps to remove the border between the two states and turn the individual space of each state into a common space of movement, interaction, cooperation and development.
In the end, I would like to stress that we support Kosovo 100 percent in its whole battle to take its full recognition process forward and its complete and final confirmation as a sovereign and democratic state in all instances and in relation with all states and international institutions.
Once again, thank you very much dear Albin!
Kosovo PM Albin Kurti: Thank you very much honourable Prime Minister Rama!
I am very happy to be in Tirana today. In an hour from now, it will be one week now since I assumed the new post as Prime Minister of the Republic of Kosovo. The first place outside Prishtina I visited since then was Prekaz, the village of the chief commander Adem Jashari, while the first city I visited outside Prishtina was Mitrovica. And, of course, Albania had to be the first country to visit outside Kosovo. I thank you very much for the hospitality, for the conversation we had, for the warm hospitality and for the very constructive talks.
I am eager to see in the third decade of the 21st century the beginning of a powerful Kosovo-Albania cooperation, like never before between our two countries. So, Kosovo and Albania are each other’s priority and they are not issues that can wait.
As Prime Minister Rama said, we agreed on setting up an interstate committee, comprising cabinet members and MPs, to make sure that the 77 agreements signed to date are fully implemented, while new agreements can be reached. We want to boost cooperation, increase and deepen coordination.
I avail myself of this opportunity to express gratitude to the Republic of Albania and the Albanian people for the unwavering and unreserved support for Kosovo. Without Albania, Kosovo could have failed either in war and peacetime with Serbia. That’s why we will never forget this and we want to move forward quickly and vigorously together in the 21st century. We want to particularly boost cooperation in economy, manufacturing, education, security and foreign policy. We believe that these are areas on which we share same preoccupation, and our democratic and developed Western partners and allies remain the same.
Once again, thank you Prime Minister and I believe we will see for ourselves how the prime ministers of our two states will advance our interstate cooperation in areas and to long-waited levels, what has always been our nation’s wish, but have yet to be seen and they will be able to see it exactly through us.
Question: Honourable PM Kurti. In the past, you have shown utmost caution when making statements regarding the Balkan Schengen and regarding what PM Rama has stated. I would like to know whether Kosovo will take part in the next Balkan Schengen meeting?
Honourable PM Rama, which is the approach concerning continuity of the Balkan Schengen?
PM Albin Kurti: This was our first meeting. There are many other subjects we will tackle in the future and I can say this was a topic we discussed briefly, since our today’s meeting primarily focused on the Albanian Macro-Schengen, so to say, rather than on the Balkan Mini-Schengen.
PM Edi Rama: Yes, thank you. It is true there is a discussion we need to take forward on this issue. I believe there could be no Albanian Macro-Schengen without the Balkan Mini-Schengen, even though this “Mini” – I repeat, I don’t know who named it that way, but, also due to my height, I don’t tend to do things “mini.” But I believe, the Albanian Macro-Schengen is closely linked to the regional Schengen, because if we remain consistent under the Berlin Process and if we remain coordinated in our activities and interaction then the path that has been closed to us for years will open and we will have a common space between the two countries, freedom of movement which was unimaginable yesterday, not just because of Serbia’s resistance, but because of all other countries.
Today it is all in our hands, because I want to openly state I have broken this resistance and it is up to us today to do the best and waste no more time, but move this process forward, because neither Serbia, nor any other country can tell us we are making the Greater Albania, if we get rid of borders.
To this end, I have discussed with the Prime Minister to immediately start working with all agencies that guarantee the security aspects, according to the Schengen model, as well as with all other agencies that must free trade from the myriad barriers still existing between us.
A question for both prime ministers; How effective will be another government meeting you plan to hold in Shkoder, given that the previous agreements signed in November 2018 have not been implemented? So, how effective will this meeting of the two governments will be and will you review the agreements that have been signed so far?
PM Albin Kurti: We are Prime Ministers who express willingness, whereas others can do plans and projections. So, there is readiness, there is a plan and the interstate committee will treat also their full implementation and add new agreements. Starting with the double controls and checks applied by both countries to the fact that to have a residence permit in Kosovo you should first have a permit to work and in order to have a work permit you should first be granted a permit to stay, all these represent a flurry of anomalies, which we will tackle and eliminate in order for both countries to be closer and integrate for the sake of our citizens, who need such a cooperation and integration.
PM Edi Rama: I want to say it is true that we really need acceleration and a new speed. Albin names it a new beginning. He is still a novice at this post, but a fresh speed is necessary, because we have signed a large number of agreements and a part of them have progressed well, while others haven’t. We believe that the interstate committee will allow the two governments to come together, not just to sign new ones, but take stock of the existing agreements and will allow both of us to push to the right direction aspects that the committee consider that need the government will. I will provide an example. Let’s consider the work permit. Minister Cakaj has undertaken an initiative based on the agreement that was on the agenda today. Kosovo citizens have no need to go through any bureaucratic procedures to work in Albania, while in Kosovo, the procedures are still the same and they are equally applied either to the Chinese, or to the Albanians. This is simply a matter of bureaucracy and it has nothing to do with the government readiness. Our challenge, as we both agreed, is to make this bureaucratic machinery to move at our desired speed and in this aspect, since Albin is full of fresh energies and there is a potential to push further and I believe we will we manage to push it further. At the joint session by end of March, I guess you will all be able judge us for the facts and not for the ceremonial greetings.
Thank you very much, because the Prime Minister has other meetings to attend and today he spent more time with me than he had anticipated.
