Ombudspersons of Kosovo, Albania and North Macedonia Call for Stronger Regional Cooperation

The Ombudsperson institutions of Kosovo, Albania and North Macedonia held a trilateral meeting, with discussions focused on the need to further advance regional cooperation and build a sustainable partnership in the protection of human rights.

During the meeting, special attention was given to the exchange of institutional experience, the handling of cross-border cases, and the strengthening of cooperation mechanisms for issues that directly affect citizens of all three countries.

Kosovo Ombudsperson Naim Qelaj highlighted the importance of interinstitutional coordination and the sharing of experience among counterpart institutions.

According to him, cooperation at the regional level creates opportunities for more efficient case handling and faster responses to challenges related to human rights, especially when they are cross-border in nature.

“The exchange of experiences shows where the region stands, not only where the respective country stands, and enables concrete action in addressing priority human rights issues. Cooperation also means providing mutual services in situations when citizens face difficulties in the respective states,” Qelaj said.

He said that among the main topics addressed at the trilateral meeting were problems with documentation, civil rights, and the possibility of establishing joint mechanisms to monitor the implementation of interstate agreements. He also stressed that special attention should be paid to healthcare services for citizens moving between these states.

Meanwhile, Albania’s Ombudsperson, Endrit Shabani, underlined the territorial limitations of the institutions and the necessity of close cooperation in handling cross-border cases.

He mentioned specific cases in which citizens of Kosovo receive services in Albania and encounter institutional difficulties, stressing that coordination between Ombudsperson offices remains essential for the effective protection of their rights.

“We have created and are continuing to create contact points and cooperation mechanisms to give priority treatment to complaints coming from citizens of the three countries,” Shabani said.

He added that cross-border issues are also linked to property, court proceedings, family relations between people of different citizenships, as well as environmental matters, including pollution of rivers shared between the states.

Meanwhile, North Macedonia’s Ombudsperson, Faton Selami, supported stronger regional coordination, describing it as an important step toward achieving higher standards for the protection of citizens’ rights in the region.

In the end, the meeting stressed that this regional cooperation is aimed not only at handling individual cases, but also at establishing sustainable mechanisms of institutional cooperation that will enable a faster and more effective response to human rights violations.