The President of the Republic of Kosovo, Madam Atifete Jahjaga received the NATO Secretary General, Mr. Jens Stoltenberg on his first visit to the Republic of Kosovo, with whom she discussed the current developments in the country and the strategic orientation of Kosovo for membership in the North Atlantic alliance.
President Jahjaga thanked Secretary Stoltenberg for the contribution of NATO and its peacekeeping force, KFOR, to maintain the peace and stability in Kosovo, necessary to create the conditions for institution building and the development of democracy in Kosovo. President Jahjaga also thanked the member states of NATO and the partners for their principal commitment that the presence of their peacekeeping forces in Kosovo not to be limited by a deadline, but to be adjusted based on the progress made in the country.
President Jahjaga stressed that the institutions of Kosovo and NATO must work in full partnership towards the strategic goal for Kosovo to develop its forces in accordance with the NATO standards and vision for Kosovo to join the alliance, as added value for the regional and global security, and the need for this partnership to be transformed into a contractual relationship between Kosovo and NATO.
The President informed Secretary Stoltenberg about the conclusions of the strategic review process of the
security sector and the decision of the Kosovo institutions to begin the gradual transformation of the Kosovo Security Force and the creation of the Armed Forces of Kosovo, a protection force, whose design is determined in accordance with the strategic interests, the national security, the needs and resources of the Republic of Kosovo. President Jahjaga also informed Secretary Stoltenberg about the commitment of the institutions of Kosovo to continue the dialogue between the Republic of Kosovo and the Republic of Serbia to normalize the relations between both countries and to open their European perspective, and about the continued commitment of the security mechanisms of the Republic of Kosovo to deal with the threat of extremism and radicalism in the country.
Secretary Stoltenberg stressed that NATO remains committed to ensure a calm and safe environment for all the citizens of Kosovo and that the presence of the peacekeeping forces in Kosovo is the guarantor of peace and stability in the whole Western Balkans region which helps the political developments and the dialogue between the countries of the region. He also stressed that NATO will continue the commitment for the capacity building of the Kosovo Security Force and welcomed the institutional commitment in Kosovo in the aspect of security and in the legal aspect to prevent individuals from Kosovo to join terrorist causes in Syria and Iraq.