The Third Joint Meeting between the Government of the Republic of Albania and the Government of Republic of Kosovo was held today in Pristina, co-chaired by Prime Ministers Edi Rama and Isa Mustafa. 

Prime Ministers dwelt on the excellent and brotherly relations between the two countries, highlighting the importance of bilateral cooperation to deepen political, economic, social and cultural interaction and further advance the European integration process, as a unifying fundamental project of the Albanian space, serving peace, stability and prosperity in the region.  

The Third Joint Meeting of the two governments follows a consolidated practice of previous meetings held in Prizreni and Tirana. At today’s meeting, parties noted current achievements and discussed on finding new mechanisms to implement signed agreements, facilitate procedures and improve business climate, aiming at the harmonization of markets between the two countries, improvement of services, infrastructure, increase of trade exchanges, etc. Moreover, several bilateral agreements and MoUs were also signed, pursuant to the completion of the legal framework, bilateral economic cooperation in the region and beyond.    

In his speech, Prime Minister Edi Rama stated that “Since the last meeting in Tirana, an appraised joint work has been carried out for the encouragement of the economic and trade cooperation, further completion of the legal framework, and improvement of the connecting infrastructure between our countries. Moreover, facilitative and coordinative sectorial measures have been taken. Our communication is constant and the volume of trade exchanges is increasing. This has improved our response in finding quick solutions to specific problems and situations.    

Prime ministers appraised Kosovo’s achievements, the signing of the first contractual EU-Kosovo agreement, Stabilization and Association Agreement and its entrance in force on April 1, 2016. This agreement constitutes a new stage in Kosovo - EU relations and an important contribution to peace, stability and prosperity in Kosovo and the region. It marks a historical moment for Kosovo, which will contribute to the progress of reforms, trade and investments in the country. Kosovo’s membership in UEFA and FIFA as well as the recommendation of the European Commission for the visa liberalization are clear indicators of the European path of Kosovo, as a natural process towards its Euro-Atlantic integration.

With regard to cooperation on foreign affairs, Albanian Foreign Minister Ditmir Bushati underlined that “our bilateral relations, including intergovernmental cooperation and interaction in the framework of European integration have been strengthened and further developed. We are committed to turning our relations into a model for the whole region. Our joint consulate in Munich will soon be added to the map of our joint consular services”.