The President of Republic of Kosovo, Dr. Fatmir Sejdiu and the Prime Minister Hashim Thaçi received today the Baroness Ann Taylor, UK Minister for International Defense and Security.
President Sejdiu said that they have received from the UK assurances of their commitment to provide a continuous support to the Republic of Kosovo, to support democratic processes and our institutions, to support the establishment and advancement of security institutions, to support a joint partnership in ensuring Kosovo’s movement towards and accession to international institutions, a support that coincides with proceedings at the Hague International Court of Justice and has been strongly reflected there in terms of favoring an independent and sovereign Kosovo and its further international recognition.
Further on, President Sejdiu thanked Baronesses Ann Taylor for the United Kingdom’s unreserved support to and investment in Kosovo, for a special role that it has played as a part of KFOR, for an excellent job that they have done for a long time now and for their assurances to foster a further development in our country.
On the other hand, Prime Minister Thaçi said that they have presented the achievements made in the Republic of Kosovo, including establishment of Kosovo Police, Kosovo Security Force and Inteligence Agency.
“The independence of Kosovo has brought about more peace, stability and regional cooperation and has paved a way to a European perspective” – Prime Minister said, expressing Kosovo institutions’ commitment to ensuring that Kosovo becomes a part of the EU and NATO as soon as possible.
The UK Minister for International Defense and Security, Baroness Ann Taylor, said that she has talked with the President and the Prime Minister about recent developments in Kosovo, about the fact that the security situation was now much better than it was some time ago and about challenges that were being faced in terms of building civil institutions in a multiethnic society.
“We are very pleased that we have been able to help from Britain over the years in laying the foundations for these institutions and we are very keen to provide what assistance we can in the future” – Baroness Ann Taylor affirmed.
She pointed out that the United Kingdom was one of the first countries to have recognized the independence of Republic of Kosovo and said that she was glad that many other countries have followed suit.
“It is important that Kosovo now has its independence. However, we know that when you have got such a rebuilding of civil institutions to do, this is a very significant challenge for any country and external assistance is often required. But, we are happy to know the progress that has been made and happy to try and help and give assistance and advice where we can for the work that remains to be done” – Baroness Ann Taylor, said during her first visit to our country.
Answering a question posed by a journalist regarding an eventual involvement of the Kosovo Security Force in any military activity in the world, with the assistance of the United Kingdom, she considered that in terms of building security forces in any country, when one starts from the scratch, there are several phases that one has to go and that it was relatively early days for this as far as Kosovo is concerned.
Baroness Ann Taylor added that a long term objective may be to try to get to a situation when rather than being an importer of assistance, as was the case in the past, Kosovo could get to the situation where it could play a part in helping others that have problems.
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