The President of Slovakia, Peter Pellegrini, visited Tirana today, where he was welcomed by the Albanian President, Bajram Begaj.
In a press conference, Pellegrini also addressed Slovakia’s stance on Kosovo’s independence, stating that his country’s non-recognition of Kosovo is not related to its relationship with Albania.
“I will not avoid questions about Kosovo. We discussed this with President Begaj, and I represented Slovakia’s position on this matter, along with the countries that have not recognized Kosovo. This is based on a decision, and it has nothing to do with the people of Albania or the Albanian nation. For us, the Albanian people are friendly, and this has no bearing on our negative stance toward Kosovo,” said Pellegrini.
Regarding Kosovo, President Begaj expressed his gratitude that Slovakia recognizes Kosovo passports and stated, “Albania hopes for Slovakia’s support for Kosovo’s membership in international organizations and for the possibility of reviewing its position regarding the Republic of Kosovo.”
“The position of Albania remains unchanged, unwavering in its support for Kosovo, because Kosovo is part of and contributes to stability in the Western Balkans. We will certainly continue to support Kosovo’s accession to international institutions and organizations and will work to gain further recognitions for Kosovo. We will also engage in discussions with countries that do not recognize Kosovo to explore alternatives, as is the case with Slovakia recognizing travel documents or passports,” Begaj added.
