Hoti meets with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg

Secretary - General NATO, Jens Stoltenberg, met with Kosovo Prime Minister Avdullah Hoti at NATO headquarters in Brussels.

Hoti and Stoltenberg talked about current developments in the Western Balkans.

This was the first personal meeting between the two.

Stoltenberg welcomed the latest round of European Union-backed talks between Belgrade and Pristina, which took place Monday in Brussels, underlining that dialogue is the only way to achieve a sustainable political solution in the Western Balkans.

Secretary - General NATO and the first of the Kosovo Government also discussed the agreement reached in Washington on normalising economic relations between Belgrade and Pristina.

Stoltenberg stressed that NATO is committed to stability in the Western Balkans through the KFOR peacekeeping force with 3,000 and 500 troops in Kosovo.

He added that KFOR's mandate remains unchanged: to maintain a safe environment and ensure freedom of movement for all people in Kosovo, in line with UN Security Council Resolution 1244.

Addressing the COVID-19 pandemic, the Secretary General welcomed that Allieds and NATO partners have already provided considerable medical support to assist institutions in Kosovo, and that KFOR is also providing direct support to distribution of supplies. He added that NATO is now watching how the Alliance can further support Kosovo to respond to the COVID-19.a pandemic.