Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama refused to comment on his Kosovar counterpart Albin Kurti’s statement that he would not receive the Albanian premier in a meeting during his stay in Pristina, in the frameworks of a Balkan tour previously announced by Rama.
Speaking after the Government’s meeting on 5 July, Prime Minister Edi Rama refused to answer journalists’ questions on a stance regarding Prime Minister Kurti’s earlier declaration.
“In regards to me going to Pristina, I will speak when it is time to speak, and that is tomorrow in Pristina,” the Albanian Prime Minister said, exiting the press conference and refusing to take any other questions on the matter.
Earlier during the day, Kosovo’s Prime Minister Albin Kurti invited Albania’s Prime Minister Rama to hold the previously cancelled meeting of the Governments of Kosovo and Albania, which was scheduled for 14 June in Gjakova.
“I am in direct contact with the Prime Minister of the Republic of Albania Edi Rama and I know he will come to visit Pristina in the frameworks of a Balkan tour. This tour is said to be related to the preparations for the next summit of the Berlin Process, scheduled to be held in mid-October. In a friendly way, I asked Prime Minister Rama, since he will stay for two days and a night in Pristina, to hold the meeting of the two governments, which was cancelled without any reasons,” said Prime Minister Kurti.
“If the Prime Minister of the Republic of Albania Edi Rama insists on the cancellation of this meeting, then I stand my ground. We have direct contact, we meet frequently. If you see in the past two years of our government, I’ve had dozens of meetings with Prime Minister Rama. Relations between Kosovo and Albania, as well as democracy, peace and security in the Balkans is not hindered because the Prime Minister of Kosovo does not meet with the Prime Minister of Albania, but because the meeting of our two governments was cancelled without reason. Therefore, I consider it reasonable to hold a joint meeting of the governments, but not other meetings,” concluded Kurti.
The cancelled 14 June intergovernmental meeting between Kosovo and Albania was scheduled to be held in Gjakova, and would have been the ninth meeting, where both governments would sing on 13 additional agreements. However, Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama cancelled participation on 13 June, aligning with the Western community’s stance in condemning Kosovo for deteriorating the security situation in the northern municipalities, by deciding that the new Albanian mayors in the four northern municipalities – areas predominately inhabited by Serbs – would take to their offices, installing special units of the Kosovo Police to guard municipal buildings, while local Serbs had been protesting every day. At the heights of those tensions, Serb protesters clashed with NATO’s peacekeeping force in Kosovo, KFOR, with dozens of soldiers and protesters as well injured during the 29 May protest.
Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama announced he would embark on a Balkan tour during 6-7 July to meet with regional prime ministers and presidents and discuss the Berlin Process, as well as the now terminated Open Balkan initiative.
Kosovo has long been a critic of the Open Balkan and refused to be a part of the initiative, with Prime Minister Albin Kurti insisting on the importance of the Berlin Process, a platform for high-level cooperation between the six countries of the Western Balkans, EU member states and institutions, international financial institutions, and regional civil society and businesses, initiated by former German Chancellor Angela Merkel in 2014.
Ever since its inception, Tirana will host the Berlin Process summit for the first time in 16 October, an announcement Prime Minister Rama made during an interview to Euronews Albania on 1 July.
