Albania and Kosovo will be represented by joint embassies in various countries the world over. Such announcement came from both Ministers, Cakaj and Pacolli, during the signing of an agreement between the two countries.

Acting Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Gent Cakaj received in Tirana his counterpart from Kosovo, the First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Behgjet Pacolli. During the press conference, Cakaj said that the agreement served mutual interests internationally.

Acting Minister Cakaj stated that the agreement rested on four main pillars: political, diplomatic, staff’s professional competencies, and cultural diplomacy.

Politically speaking, it is amongst others explained that the Republic of Albania takes on the concrete obligations to lay out, defend, and affirm the political stances of the Republic of Kosovo on all the occasions, where the latter’s attendance is not possible for objective reasons. Moreover, Albania will be launching a special campaign to help strengthen the State of Kosovo internationally.

Diplomatically speaking, the agreement helps lay the groundwork for the setting up of the Joint Fund for the Establishment, Management and Development of Embassies, Missions and Consulates so as to create environments of common use by both countries.

Professionally speaking, the agreement also provides for the exchange of the diplomatic staff of Kosovo and Albania in each other’s representations across the word, and the Diplomatic Academies will set about putting in place a joint training programme.

Finally, from the viewpoint of the cultural diplomacy, the agreement imposes on the parties the duty to draw up a joint schedule of the cultural activities so as to preserve and promote national values across the world.

According to both Ministers, such agreement will help open an entirely new chapter of cooperation in the field of foreign policy between the Republic of Kosovo and the Republic of Albania.

On his part, the First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kosovo, Behgjet Pacolli, appreciated the hospitality in Tirana, saying that Kosovo is another room of our joint home.

Addressing to Mr. Cakaj as ‘My brother Gent,’ delightfully Pacolli stated that, at this point in time, cooperation between the two diplomacies could make the conclusion of such agreement possible.

‘Together we will be stronger,’ Pacolli said.

 

 

Joint press conference

Gent Cakaj: Hello everybody,

Thank you so much for the interest shown in such especially important communication. Today I have had the great honour and the rare pleasure to receive the First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kosovo, Mr. Behgjet Pacolli, who is on an official visit to Tirana.

I would initially like to thank Mr. Pacolli for his unsparing efforts for the development of Kosovo overall, and particularly, his precious efforts to help strengthen its position internationally. It is worth pointing out that, owing to his humane spirit, Mr. Pacolli sets himself apart also for his commitment to stand by the Albanians, on a daily basis and unconditionally, wherever they happen to be.

Therefore, it is with special pleasure that I wish Mr. Pacolli welcome to Albania and to our institutional home, which is actually his home, too.

Motivated by the purpose of ensuring absolute alignment of their foreign policies on all their dimensions, and led by the intention to make full use of all the leeway in ensuring inter-institutional cooperation in the political, diplomatic, and consular fields, and certainly, critically considering the movements in the international arena that call for a joint response by and an approach coordinated between Kosovo and Albania, on this day, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kosovo and the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs of Albania signed the agreement on putting in place a number of institutional mechanisms conducive to both countries becoming closer and stronger affirmation of their mutual interests.

Today’s Agreement rests on four pillars:

Firstly, the political pillar. Considering the need to enlarge our political network, and improve the quality of our diplomatic representation so as to effectively meet the challenges our countries are faced with internationally, we have decided to set up an inter-ministerial group instrumental in ensuring our being jointly represented internationally, for the purpose of coordinating the political stances internationally, and of course, taking on concrete obligations to represent each other, as is jointly deemed, particularly in international organisations.

I would like to underline that, from this day forward, the Republic of Albania in particular takes on not merely making the declarative affirmation, but also the direct representation, and the concrete defence and unconditional affirmation, of the official stances of the Republic of Kosovo at all international levels, at which representation of Kosovo is not possible for objective reasons.

Here, I would like to seize the opportunity to thank the First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kosovo for his support to Albania on a number of issues of national interest.

Likewise, for the purpose of constantly pursuing efficient policies and rigorously addressing the national interest, we have decided to set up the Joint Council for Strategic Planning, which is tasked with setting the strategic priorities and putting forward, on a regular basis, proposals for policies of national importance.

Kosovo and Albania will from now on operate as a unified boy, taking a very active approach to foreign affairs.

Secondly, the diplomatic pillar. In terms of this, I would like to highlight that, to be correct, special credit must be given to Mr. Pacolli to that effect, as this idea regarding the diplomatic pillar is an old idea of his so as to rationalise the administrative and logistics costs. But what is even more important than that, taking into consideration the absolute necessity of increasing the number of diplomatic and consular representations across the world, we have agreed to start work on setting up a joint fund for the establishment, management and development of our joint embassies and consulates across the world. From this day on, Kosovo and Albania will get to work to have joint embassies and consulates across the world.

Such development marks our increased diplomatic presence, and the advance of our joint capacities, and in any case, Kosovo and Albania getting even more closer, and this is an integral part of a larger project, which is the development of an integrated diplomacy between the two countries.

Further on, for the purpose of serving the long-term cause for putting in place precisely such undertaking, respectively the integrated diplomatic corps, from this day forward Kosovo and Albania will immediately start to set up a joint training platform between their diplomatic academies, and on a yearly basis, will organise the joint conference of the heads of the diplomatic and consular missions.

Thirdly, the professional pillar. I am referring here to the building of capacities across the diplomatic service, and of course, our joint commitments to exchange staff in all the countries, across the world, and in the respective ministries.

Today, I am very honoured to announce here in front of you that I can hardly wait for the arrival of the first diplomats from Kosovo to the diplomatic service of Albania. Likewise, I am quite delighted for the diplomats from Albania, who will be posted in diplomatic missions where Kosovo enjoys an undisputable advantage of representation.

Anyway, such action will also be accompanied by the exchange of the staff in our ministries so as to be able to address our joint challenges, and certainly, be more sensible of all the issues of mutual concern.

Finally, the cultural diplomacy pillar. Today, Albania and Kosovo have agreed to draw up a joint schedule of cultural activities for the purpose of preserving and promoting the national values. We have also agreed to organise the joint annual conference, including the diaspora and the civil society, and in cooperation with them, to discuss how to strengthen the foreign policy conducive to serving the national interests and values.

Such agreement represents the crowning of the fraternal spirit existing between our two countries, as well as an objective and strategic necessity on account of the joint challenges.

This does not mean that Kosovo and Albania will not be further committed to exhaust all the leeway of cooperation so as to have in place an integrated diplomacy.

Likewise, on behalf of the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs of Albania, I would like to confirm that, from now on,  Albania will actively be associated with Kosovo’s lobbying efforts so as to both provide a clear-cut answer to certain forces jeopardising Kosovo’s international status, and provide our valuable input to help strengthen its role, always in accordance with the considerations made by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kosovo.

Today, not only are we closer than ever before with each other, but this is also a new chapter of cooperation, namely an essential step forward towards developing integrated diplomacy between our two countries.

Thanking you very much indeed for your attention and interest, I would like to give the floor to the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kosovo.

Behgjet Pacolli: Thank you so much Minister my brother Gent. I thank you for the fraternal hospitality. As you already said, this is not a new idea, but the right time must come for an idea to develop. And such an idea gains momentum when time is up for it. It seems that now is the time for such old idea regarding cooperation resting on four pillars, as the Minister mentioned.

And the idea is very powerful now. It will contribute to both countries, and more so to Kosovo. Kosovo needs Albania’s assistance, and Kosovo needs the support from the experienced people, those people who are now contributing to Albania’s relations with other countries. Why not give such support to Kosovo, too?

Today, I am very happy to have signed such agreement, and from now on, we will work. This does not mean that we have not worked. We have worked in the interests of both countries together, but now we will be working de facto and de jure, and you’ll see for yourselves that greater results will be achieved.

We are living at an entirely different time as compared to several years ago. This is a time when, primarily, geopolitics has changed, and the interests of various countries have changed, and now we have to be adapted to this reality.

Our adaptation starts with such agreement, too, and we will be more present in countries where we have not been present so far. It is not logical that a continent like Africa, which is home to one third of the countries of the world, is not covered by our two countries, which are practically Africa’s ante-chamber. We are very close to Africa. And I believe that, as Kosovo needs the support from these states, so it needs economic cooperation with Albania. And for Kosovo to have such economic cooperation, we need to take this ride. And we must take this ride, and we must not fail to do so.

And I believe that, to that effect, we must commit ourselves to having our diplomacies open up, and establishing joint diplomatic representations. In a number of countries, we operate as two entities, and I believe this is superfluous. We must unite such energy, and operate together. Why not operate from the same home from Berlin, from Paris, from Rome, as well as from Washington, as the Minister put it? And I’ll be a supporter of such idea. I’ll be fighting for such idea so that we have joint representations.

Such thing helps improve the efficiency, and reduce costs, as well as attain reputation. Because, if we are able to cooperate with each other, we will be able to cooperate with the others, as well.

And here, I would like to thank the Minister for the pro-Kosovo environment he has created, and for this process in which he has put forth efforts to speed up, as well as thank the staff of the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs of Albania, which has always been there where it was required to be, and has always been prepared to lend Kosovo a hand.

Today, Kosovo needs this strong hand, and I am telling you that we are always willing to also act according to the advice of the Republic of Albania. Together we are stronger, and more knowledgeable, and certainly, more respected by the others, as well.

I would like to once again thank you for your hospitality, and to assure you that Kosovo is the other room of our joint home, and there, there will always be good understanding, and open doors, and there, there will always be open hearts, and open hands for our brothers and sisters from Albania.

Thank you once again, and may we have good luck in this interaction, which is very, very important not only to the Albanian diplomacy, but also to the cause of our nation.

Thank you very much.