Kosovo President Fatmir Sejdiu visits Albania following the positive opinion given by the International Court of Justice on Kosovo’s unilateral declaration of independence two years ago.
TIRANA TIMES
TIRANA, July 25 – Albania’s top officials have praised the International Court of Justice decision which declared Kosovo’s 2008 unilateral declaration of independence from Serbia did not violate international law.
Kosovo President Fatmir Sejdiu and Albanian President Bamir Topi called on Serbia to be more cooperative in the region and added that by recognizing the independence of Kosovo they would align with other Balkans countries in the integration processes.
Sejdiu and Topi made the statement after an informal meeting in Tirana.
Sejdiu also met Prime Minister Sali Berisha, who also praised the court’s decision, saying it contributes to regional peace. Officials in Tirana are convinced that the ruling will pave the way for new recognitions of Kosovo and open a new chapter in co-operation between Pristina and Belgrade.
Berisha hailed a UN court’s backing of Kosovo’s independence as a contribution to regional peace and said he expected more countries to recognize the territory.
“This is a historic decision, this is a huge contribution to the peace and stability of the region,” Berisha told reporters.
“The decision … opens a new chapter in the history of relations between Serbs and Albanians in the Balkans,” he said.
Albanian Foreign Minister Ilir Meta said he was “convinced that the opinion of the ICJ will speed up the process of recognition of Kosovo as an independent and sovereign state, paving a way for its admission into the United Nations.”
So far 69 states, including the United States and 22 out of 27 European Union members, have recognized Kosovo’s independence, which is firmly rejected by Serbia, backed by its ally Russia
Topi said Tirana will in September host a meeting of the Balkans Economic Regional Forum and will invite all presidents of the region to take part and noted that he hoped the President of Serbia Boris Tadic will also attend the conference.
