Minister Gordan Grlić Radman on Monday received a working visit from Kosovo’s Foreign Minister Meliza Haradinaj-Stublla.
The talks underscored the traditionally friendly relations between Croatia and Kosovo, with the two ministers expressing commitment to the additional strengthening of bilateral relations and dialogue.
Grlić Radman said that Croatia strongly supported Kosovo’s Euro-Atlantic orientation as well as the country’s participation in regional and international organizations. He also reflected on Croatia’s continued contribution to Kosovo’s development through KFOR, NATO’s peace operation in the country.
The two ministers discussed the status of the Croat community in Kosovo and their daily struggles, with Grlić Radman stressing the importance of advancing their status so they could contribute more to Kosovo’s progress.
In addition, Grlić Radman and Haradinaj-Stublla talked about the EU integration of Southeast Europe. “Given Kosovo’s orientation towards the Euro-Atlantic goal, I hope the EU-Kosovo visa regime will be liberalized soon, which would validate the reforms the country has implemented thus far and encourage it to continue along the same path,” Grlić Radman said.
Over the last few years, the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs has maintained good cooperation with and continuously assisted Kosovo in its reform efforts. We will also continue to support the capacity building of Kosovo’s institutions along the country’s journey to European integration.
Haradinaj-Stublla said that Croatia’s support was extremely important to Kosovo and that Croatia was an example as well as an inspiration given the country’s difficult path to Euro-Atlantic integration. She underlined excellent cooperation with the Croat minority in Kosovo, notably Janjevo. The two ministers agreed that additional efforts were needed to improve the status of the Croat minority in Kosovo and the Albanian minority in Croatia, as they represent an important link between the two countries.