Thaci: Dialogue remains the only key to normalising relations

Kosovo President Hashim Thaci, who is participating in the Paris Conference, which is taking place within the framework of the International Economic Forum of the Americas, has told Kosovo's political and economic development today under the EU integration process.

He has said that Kosovo as a new state is developing politically and economically to improve the standard of citizens' living, but rigorously also implements development policies to meet European standards in all areas, because our goal is membership in the European Union.

“We have implemented all government policies with EU standards, which is in line with the ultimate goal of our Euro-Atlantic integration. Our political development and institution building, public administration reform, judicial reform and strengthening rule of law has been closely shaped in line with EU criteria”, President Thaci has said.

He has said continued reforms are necessary and they are made not only to be able to join the EU, even though it is a fact that over 95 percent of the population is in favour of EU membership.

Our “Plants in economic policy and structural reforms are conceived, designed and implemented in line with economic accession criteria, respectively, to ensure a free market economy, which is able to cope with the competitive pressures of the EU market”, President Thaci has said.

He added that it is now working towards creating economic conditions to increase exports, attract foreign investments and integrate Kosovo businesses into the chain of international values.

President Thaci has said that Kosovo's successes also testify to the World Bank's report to doing business, where Kosovo had a significant improvement in the ranking from 60th to 40th. But, according to him, like our neighbours, we have problems with the informal economy and, moreover, Kosovo is still challenged by the high unemployment rate.

However, improvements are constantly taking place in all relevant areas and considering that in the next year we will celebrate our 10th anniversary as an independent country, the results are very encouraging”, he said.

The head of state has said it is clear that these results have also been achieved due to the European perspective, including considerable financial support provided by the EU through IPA funds.

“We often feel disappointed that the European integration process is no faster, because delays are creating space for other actors who try to violate our civilizing Western values. Whatever the case, the signing of the SAA in 2015 was very important and is expected to have a direct impact on our political and economic development”, he has said.

President Thaci has added that Kosovo is still expecting its work in meeting the criteria for visa liberalisation to be crowned successfully, as it is the only country in the Western Balkans that still has no right to move without visas.

At the First Conference in Paris, President Thaci also spoke of the EU-attensive dialogue on normalising interstate relations between Kosovo and Serbia.

He has said this dialogue is now entering a new phase and has expressed confidence that a final agreement will be reached within a distant future.

The “Dialogue has so far produced many positive results and remains the only key to normalising relations between the two respective states as the necessary condition for EU and NATO integration”, he has said.

Taking into account the historical and geostrategic context, President Thaci has said that the EU should have a single wave of enlargement with all the states of the Western Balkans, for them to join the EU in the same period of time, because the similarities between them are very evident in all areas.