President of Kosovo sees great potential for expansion of economic relations between Latvia and Kosovo

RIGA - There is a great potential for expansion of economic relations between Kosovo and Latvia, believes President of Kosovo Vjosa Osmani-Sadriu.

Osmani said at a press conference on Tuesday after a meeting with Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics that she was looking forward to meeting with participants in Latvian-Kosovan business forum, where she would discuss cooperation in energy, agriculture and other areas.

She also proposed establishment of a Kosovo-Latvia economic forum, which could work on a permanent basis on deepening economic relations between the two countries and attracting investment. Economic ties are very important to bring countries and their people closer, she said. Kosovo is ready to conclude bilateral agreements on a number of issues in the near future, and the relevant ministries will continue to work on the objective.

Osmani also pointed out that Latvia consistently supported Kosovo within the European Union, NATO and other organizations.

Various aspects of mutual cooperation were discussed during Latvian and Kosovan presidents' meeting on Tuesday, ranging from security and defense to deepening economic relations and foreign policy issues important for both countries.

"Our bilateral relations are very strong and based on our common interest in defending democratic values, fundamental freedoms, international law and cooperation based on international law," said Osmani.

Latvia and Kosovo are ready to intensify their cooperation in areas of mutual interest, including in economy, security and defense, as well as cybersecurity, said Osmani. "We are ready to stand up not only for world peace, but also for regional security in our region," she added.

According to Osmani, Latvia's support for Kosovo's membership in international organizations has been very important for the country and Kosovo looks forward to the same support in the future, so that the country can fully reintegrate into the international community and its organizations.

During the meeting, the two presidents also expressed their concern about Russia's imperialist aspirations and illegal invasion of Ukraine, as well as hybrid threats posed to both countries by Russia and its attempts to destabilize the situation through disinformation and propaganda.

"We stand for Euro-Atlantic values as a Western Balkan country and we are also committed to working actively to defend these values, as we have shown by our unwavering support for Ukraine, as well as by supporting the EU sanctions against Russia," said Osmani.

She noted that although Kosovo is not yet an EU candidate country, it is ready to work very closely with its allies. "Given the EU's capacity to bring about huge changes, we are also implementing the necessary reforms to meet all the criteria, but our path to EU membership must be fair and we must show that we are a trusted partner in the eyes of the EU," said the president of Kosovo.

As reported, Osmani is on a working visit to Latvia July 14 to 16.