Kosovo’s Deputy Prime Minister, Glauk Konjufca, said that cooperation among the countries of the region should be guided by mutual trust, equality, and respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity.

During the High-Level Week of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly in New York, Konjufca said in a post on X that he had attended a joint working lunch of the South-East European Cooperation Process (SEECP) and the Central European Initiative (CEI).

He expressed his gratitude to Romania’s Foreign Minister, Oana Țoiu, for organizing the discussion on the prospects for regional cooperation.

Konjufca stressed that, on the third anniversary of the terrorist attack in Banjska, in which Kosovo Police Sergeant Afrim Bunjaku was killed, he had reiterated the need for regional relations to be based on trust, equality, and respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity.

According to him, this approach is particularly important at a time when the region and Europe are facing an increase in hybrid threats and geopolitical pressures.

He underscored that, for the Republic of Kosovo, regional cooperation should complement, rather than replace, the shared European aspiration. At the same time, this cooperation should bring concrete benefits by strengthening regional ties, trade, energy, digital cooperation, mobility, and resilience.

Konjufca said that these mechanisms should be assessed based on the impact they have and the benefits they bring to citizens.

He added that young people are seeking opportunities, freedom of movement, and well-being, while the task of institutions is to create these opportunities within the region.

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With an order signed by the President of the United States, Donald Trump, Washington assesses that developments in the region still pose an unusual threat to US national security and foreign policy. This assessment includes widespread corruption, the undermining of postwar agreements, and efforts to damage territorial integrity.

The national emergency, initially declared in 2001, will remain in force beyond the June 26, 2026 deadline, in accordance with the US National Emergencies Act.

The first executive order, 13219, was issued on June 26, 2001 in response to extremist violence in what is now North Macedonia, as well as obstacles to the implementation of the Dayton Agreement in Bosnia and UN Resolution 1244 in Kosovo. Over the past two decades, however, the content and scope of this order have been significantly transformed to adapt to new risks in the region.

In June 2021, the scope of the emergency was officially expanded to include the territory of the Republic of Albania. The US concluded that widespread corruption in governments and various institutions of the Western Balkans, together with the undermining of postwar institutions, hinders progress toward effective and democratic governance, as well as full integration into Euro-Atlantic institutions.

The White House’s official announcement emphasizes that the latest actions under this emergency were taken through Executive Order EO 14140, signed on January 8, 2025. This decision was made following troubling developments showing that certain individuals in the Western Balkans continue to challenge the sovereignty and territorial integrity of countries in the region.

The document underlines that these actors not only damage the rule of law through significant corruption, but are also actively engaged in circumventing and evading sanctions imposed by the United States government.

Because the actions of individuals who threaten peace and international efforts to stabilize the Balkans continue to remain a real threat, the national emergency has officially been extended by 1 year. The notice will be published in the Federal Register and sent immediately to the US Congress for further procedures.

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