Kurti and Byrne discuss Kosovo’s steps toward EU membership

Kosovo’s Prime Minister Albin Kurti met with Thomas Byrne, Ireland’s Minister of State for European Affairs and Defence, during the Leaders’ Summit of the Berlin Process, which is taking place in Montenegro.

Kurti said in a Facebook post that during the meeting he expressed his gratitude for Ireland’s continued support for Kosovo, as well as for its role in the country’s security through the KFOR mission.

According to the prime minister, more than 3,000 members of the Irish army have served in Kosovo since 1999.

He also mentioned that during the war in Kosovo, Ireland provided shelter to more than 1,000 Albanian refugees.

During the discussion, Kurti and the Irish minister also discussed Kosovo’s progress on its path toward the European Union. The prime minister said that work was being carried out with partners to turn Kosovo’s democratic progress and European orientation into concrete steps toward EU membership.

Kurti stressed that November is particularly important, expressing the expectation that the European Commission’s report would highlight Kosovo’s progress and that this assessment would be made concrete through the receipt of the European Commission’s questionnaire.