The President of Germany, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, has said that his country supports Kosovo’s membership in the European Union and the Council of Europe and that he is interested in stability in the region, after a meeting with the president of Kosovo, Vjosa Osmani, on Wednesday in Berlin.
In an article on Facebook, Steinmeier said that Kosovo “must work to create the necessary conditions for this”.
Kosovo applied for EU membership in December 2022, but has not yet received the status of a candidate country.
Meanwhile, it failed to become a member of the Council of Europe at the beginning of this year, because it agreed with the Association of Serb-majority municipalities in Kosovo.
The Presidency of Kosovo said in an announcement on Wednesday that the conversation between Osman and Stainmeier “focused on the deepening of bilateral relations, the current developments in Kosovo and the Western Balkans as well as the advancement of Kosovo’s integration in international organizations.”
Osmani is staying in Germany for a business visit, where on Tuesday she also met with the German Foreign Minister, Annalena Baerbock.
Osmani, according to the announcement, expressed her deep appreciation for Germany’s support for Kosovo in the process of freedom and state building, but also in the Euro-Atlantic path.
Regarding the Berlin Process, Osmani “called it a powerful impetus for the European perspective of the Western Balkans”.
“In this context, President Osmani has reiterated her full support for the agreements resulting from this process”, the announcement states.
Recently, Germany has been critical of Kosovo, due to its refusal to lift the ban on the import of Serbian goods.
The Kosovar government imposed a ban on goods produced by Serbia in June 2023, on the grounds that they are endangering the security of Kosovo, and that, through them, weapons can also enter the country.
The German ambassador to Kosovo, Jorn Rohde, has warned that if necessary, the Balkan countries will move forward towards regional cooperation even without Kosovo./ REL
