Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis, who is also the current chair of the OSCE, is on an official visit to Kosovo today. He has met President Justina Shiroka Pula and First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Diaspora Glauk Konjufca. During his meeting with the president, Cassis reaffirmed that Switzerland would continue to support Kosovo.
The visit to Pristina is part of a regional tour that Cassis began in Serbia on November 4 and will conclude tomorrow, November 6, in North Macedonia.
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The meeting with Shiroka Pula took place in the morning at the President’s Office, without the media present; journalists were allowed in only to take footage. In a statement, the Presidency said the president described relations between Kosovo and Switzerland as excellent and thanked Bern for its continued support.
Shiroka Pula called for stronger economic ties, more trade and greater Swiss investment in Kosovo. She said trade between the two countries was healthy but could improve further thanks to the opportunities created by the agreement with EFTA.
The president also called for continued Swiss support to strengthen Kosovo’s standing internationally and help it join international organizations. She highlighted the active contribution of the Albanian diaspora in Switzerland to the country where they live, describing it as a bridge between the two states. Shiroka Pula also expressed gratitude for SWISSCOY, the Swiss contingent of KFOR, which has served in Kosovo since 1999.
Cassis, for his part, said Kosovo would continue to have Switzerland’s support and also expressed support for the country’s new president.
After the meeting at the Presidency, the Swiss foreign minister was received by Konjufca at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Diaspora building in Pristina. A joint press conference had been announced for after their meeting.
According to the schedule issued by the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs in Bern, Cassis is also due to meet Prime Minister Albin Kurti in Kosovo. His agenda includes visits to NATO’s peacekeeping mission, KFOR, and the OSCE mission in Pristina, as well as the inauguration of the Swiss Embassy’s new premises in Pristina.
The talks focus on the free trade agreement between Kosovo and EFTA countries, including Switzerland, which recently entered into force, as well as Switzerland’s support for the Pristina–Belgrade dialogue. According to Bern, Cassis will emphasize the importance of dialogue, coming to terms with the past and protecting all communities during the tour.
In Belgrade, in his capacity as OSCE chair, Cassis had planned talks with Serbia’s interim president, Ana Brnabiq, and elected representatives of the Student List, a few days after early parliamentary elections in the country. In Skopje, he is meeting Foreign Minister Timço Mucunski.
The Swiss foreign ministry notes that the large diaspora living and working in Switzerland has helped strengthen the country’s close ties with the Western Balkan states.
