Kurti for Good Neighborly Ties, Western Balkans in EU

Albin Kurti (Beta/Armenija Zajmi Besevic)

Kosovo Premier Albin Kurti on March 10 said he had suggested that the 100 percent tariffs on the goods coming from Serbia be removed on March 15, after which Serbia would be obliged to discontinue its Kosovo derecognition campaign by April 1, and also to start removing nontariff barriers.

In an interview with German TV ARD, Kurti said this proposal was a gesture of goodwill and his personal stand as the premier, and not a government decision. He reiterated that he wished for good neighborly ties with Serbia.

“I think that all Western Balkan countries should join the EU, as soon as possible. We are not the EU neighbors. We are surrounded by the EU. There are countries in the East and in the South that are EU neighbors. But this does not apply for the six Western Balkan countries which need investments, and in the center of those six Western Balkans countries lies Kosovo,” Kurti said.

He also said that in the coming months it would be of utmost importance for the Western Balkans to see the EU open accession talks with Albania and North Macedonia and introduce visa liberalization for Kosovo’s citizens.