Kosovo’s President Vjosa Osmani met with the European Union’s High Representative Kaja Kallas on Thursday to discuss recent developments in Kosovo and the wider region.
During the meeting on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, Osmani called on the EU to remove punitive measures against Kosovo, stressing their negative impact on citizens.
“Kosovo’s integration into the European Union remains one of our top state priorities. In this spirit, I reiterated the need to lift the EU’s unjust measures against Kosovo, which are harming all our citizens without exception,” Osmani said.
The EU imposed sanctions on Kosovo in 2023 after rising tensions in the Serb-majority north. Brussels argued the government in Pristina had not done enough to de-escalate the situation.
In May, during her first visit to Kosovo as the EU’s top diplomat, Kallas confirmed that a gradual lifting of sanctions had begun, though details remained unclear. Reports suggested that measures linked to the Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) and the Western Balkans Investment Framework had already been eased.
Kosovo continues to push for EU membership, but it remains the only Western Balkan country without candidate status. Its application, submitted in December 2022, has not yet been reviewed.
This week, Osmani also held talks with other officials in New York. On Wednesday, she described her meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio as “substantive.” The talks came shortly after Washington suspended the planned Strategic Dialogue with Kosovo, citing actions by Pristina’s caretaker government that it said had fueled instability.
Despite the setback, Osmani expressed deep regret and concern over the U.S. decision, while caretaker Prime Minister Albin Kurti maintained that Kosovo’s ties with Washington remain strong, though not without “some differences” in positions.
