On the first day of her visit to Canada, the President of the Republic of Kosovo Vjosa Osmani, awarded at a ceremony the Canadian Armed Forces with the Presidential Military Medal for their contribution with the NATO forces, during the intervention in Kosovo in 1999 and for their over two-decades-long service in Kosovo.
She praised the role of the Canadian peacekeeping force in the building of a secure society in the post-war period in Kosovo. According to her, along with the armies of other nations the Canadian soldiers made the freedom of Kosovo possible, hence its people will be eternally grateful to them.
At a meeting with the Minister of Defense Anita Anand, President Osmani, accompanied by the Minister of the Foreign Affairs and Diaspora Donika Gërvalla and Minister of Defence Armend Mehaj, stressed the need for cooperation in the field of security, mentioning the development of KSF capacities which according to her is transforming into a modern army, thanks to the coordination with partners strategic. In this context, she mentioned the defense program: MTCP – Military Training Cooperation Program, potentiating the possibility of cooperation and inclusion of Kosovo in it.
President Osmani assessed the relations between Kosovo and Canada as very good and important on the international and strategic plane.
She thanked Canada for its support to Kosovo and stressed that our country still needs Canadian support, especially in membership in international organizations but also in the strengthening of Kosovo's international subjectivity.
President Osmani also pointed out the negative tendencies of the Russian influence in the Balkan region, emphasizing the potential for destabilization by the inciting rhetoric and actions of the Serbian state.