210m-euro trade exchange with Albania

Trade exchanges between Kosovo and Albania during 2017 have increased by 50 per cent.

This news has delighted Albania's representatives in Kosovo. Albania's diplomatic representative in Kosovo, Qemail Minxhozi, says he enjoys the fact that the agreements and meetings held between the two governments have had results.

With the start of the new year we bring good news. Economic relations between Albania and Kosovo last year have suffered a 50 per cent increase more than in 2016. On the other hand, I can say that we have the greatest increase in exchanges over the last four years. Today Albania and Kosovo exchange some 210m euros of goods, and another happy news for Kosovo's venture was managed last year to be exported from Kosovo to Albania to this number of 210m euros, about 55m euros in goods. It is a greater figure than all the regional co-operation Kosovo did with their exports to the countries of the small region“, Minxhozi said.

Although the meetings of the two governments have accomplished their best, Minxhozi says that he is not satisfied, since he can become even more satisfied. He expects to be conveyed in 2018 with greater success in economic and other ways.

The “Mblems of the two governments that were made in 2016 and the latter in 2017 were working meetings aimed at increasing these exchanges, strengthening economic relations, and producing results, but of course we are not satisfied because opportunities are much more. However, it is a good start for 2018 and we hope that this continuation of 2017 will join us with even higher results this year”, Minxhozi said.

Kosovo Deputy Prime Minister Fatmir Limaj, who heads economic policies with Albania, says there are no more agreements to be made only for the media, but each agreement reached will be monitored on their part.

There are no more arrangements left on the table to mark an agreement before television and not implement. We will oversee implementation of all those agreements reached. We are looking at horizons of deepening co-operation aimed at removing barriers, difficulties of communication between two states, between the citizens of the two states, between the specific sectors, from the communication of the circulation of the free people to the free flow of goods”, Limaj said.

He has also added that this year, it will work to function the interconction between Kosovo and Albania.

“Endocationalisation, introduction of interference between Kosovo and Albania, and finding other forms of co-operation that empower our economy and common market. These are the streets, the commitment we have to make in 2018. We here have expressed our will, too, but I believe the Albanian government nearby will stay in the fulfillment of these common goals that are in the interest of the two states”, Limaj said.

In contrast, Bahri Berisha, Kosovo customs director, has said trade exchanges between the two countries have increased by 50 per cent.

This year we have an increase in trade reports between Kosovo and Albania. If we talk about Kosovo exports to Albania, we have an increase that amounts to close to 50 per cent of the value in exports from Kosovo to Albania. The same is growing by Albania of Albanian products in the direction of Kosovo”, Berisha said.

According to Berisha, this shows Kosovo and Albanian products are present on the two markets. Otherwise, the Kosovo government and Albania have held four joint meetings where a series of co-operation agreements have been signed.