During her visit to Riga, Latvia, President Vjosa Osmani accused Serbia of making continuous efforts to destabilize Kosovo. She emphasized that in relation to the Serbian state, Kosovo is not an aggressive party. And from the Latvian President, Egars Rinkevics, she received support for Kosovo’s path towards the European Union.
President Vjosa Osmani has accused Serbia of continuously making efforts to destabilize Kosovo and of becoming an extended arm of Russia in the Balkans.
Osmani made this statement on Tuesday, at a press conference as part of her official visit to Riga, Latvia, where she was received by her counterpart, Egars Rinkevics.
Osmani rejected the notion of “tensions” between Kosovo and Serbia, as, as he said, the aggressor and the victim should never be put in the same bag.
“In the history of our country’s existence, we have never invaded or attacked an inch of our neighbors’ territory. But what we have always done and will continue to do is defend our independence, territorial integrity, peace and freedom that we won with hard work and much sacrifice,” Osmani emphasized.
Osmani said that Russia, despite its efforts to destabilize all of Europe, has no influence in Kosovo, but added that Serbia has become its extended hand in the region, whether in political, economic or military terms.
President Osmani also emphasized Kosovo’s constructive role in the dialogue with Serbia, facilitated by the European Union.
“We want to look to the future. This is why we are constructively engaged in the EU-led dialogue and I would join the President in fully supporting the High Representative, Kallas, and the Special Envoy for the dialogue, Mr. Sorensen. We will work closely with them in a way that will show that our proposals, our constructive approach, will only contribute to peace and stability in the region,” Osmani added.
Latvian President Rinkėvics called Osmani’s visit historic, expressing his country’s unwavering support for Kosovo’s path to the EU. He also expressed gratitude for the support Kosovo has provided to Ukraine, which is facing Russian aggression.
And for the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue, Rinkevics demanded the commitment of both parties.
“I expressed my support for Kaja Kallas, the EU High Representative, and Mr. Sorensen, who negotiates on behalf of the EU in the Pristina-Belgrade dialogue, which is very important. It is also important that this dialogue finds the support of both sides, not just one side, and from this perspective it was very interesting to hear from the President her opinion on where we are when it comes to the dialogue,” he stated.
In Riga, Osmani awarded presidential military medals to 140 Latvian peacekeepers operating within the framework of the NATO mission in Kosovo – KFOR.
Latvia recognized Kosovo a few days after its declaration of independence and has been a member of the European Union since 2004.