Yesterday, in France, the first Deputy Prime Minister for European Integration, Development and Dialogue of the Republic of Kosovo, Besnik Bislimi met the Secretary of State for European Affairs of France, Laurence Boone.
In this meeting, Deputy Prime Minister Bislimi presented the three pillars of his mandate: European integration, development and dialogue.
Regarding European integration, he emphasized that the Republic of Kosovo welcomes the new expansion plan and that it remains fully committed to important steps forward in this process. The process of European integration should be based on meritocracy and equal distribution for all countries.
Kosovo is already in the 7th year of implementation of the Stabilization and Association Agreement and is institutionally prepared for receiving the questionnaire and the status of a candidate country for membership in the European Union.
In economic development, our country has proven that beyond the barriers it has faced, it has achieved economic growth and performed positively in international rankings and measurements.
As for the dialogue process, Deputy Prime Minister Bislimi said that Kosovo has consistently been a constructive party. Meanwhile, through numerous violations of the Basic Agreement, Serbia has proven to be a blocking party in this process.
Among these violations, he voted against Kosovo’s membership in the Council of Europe, violating Article 4 of the Basic Agreement. Also, Serbia refused to sign the agreement and the implementation annex.
Regarding the September 24 terrorist attack, he emphasized that it was an act of aggression by a candidate country for EU membership, against a still potential candidate for membership.
In the end, the excellent bilateral relations with France and the possibilities for their deepening were discussed.
Previously, Deputy Prime Minister Bislimi had a meeting with France’s special envoy for the Western Balkans, Rene Troccaz, where he highly appreciated France’s contribution and commitment to the region.
Present at these meetings were the ambassador of the Republic of Kosovo in France, Mehdi Halimi, and the Deputy Director of the Department for the Balkans in the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs of France, Nicolas Faye.
Last modified: October 23, 2023
