The President of Kosovo, Vjosa Osmani, stated that new, faster rules and a stronger legal framework are needed, along with greater cooperation between states, in order to combat criminal gangs that exploit current loopholes in the asylum system.
Osmani spoke at a roundtable organized by U.S. Assistant Secretary of State, Christopher Landau, titled “The Global Asylum System: What Went Wrong and How to Fix It”, held in New York.
Recalling her own experience as a refugee during the war in Kosovo, Osmani stressed that the greatest harm to genuine refugees comes from the abuse of this system by criminal networks.
She noted that Kosovo closely cooperates with European states in tackling the criminalization and abuse of the asylum system, adding that the country is a pioneer in several important aspects of this agenda.
Osmani underlined her pride that Kosovo is the first country in Europe to sign an agreement with the United States for the acceptance of third-country nationals deported from the U.S., who are later returned to their countries of origin.
“We are very proud to be the first and only country in Europe to sign such an agreement with the U.S. regarding third countries, supporting President Trump’s agenda to combat illegal migration. We stand ready to support states in need of Kosovo’s assistance, even though we are a small country,” Osmani stated.
She further emphasized that Kosovo is also the first country to harmonize with the U.S. list of terrorist organizations, including the last three executive orders issued by U.S. President Donald Trump.
“When an organization or cartel is designated as terrorist because it threatens the security of the U.S., then it is also recognized as terrorist in the Republic of Kosovo. This type of cooperation is essential, with the purpose of ensuring the system serves those in real need… In conclusion, we need new, faster rules and a more agile legal framework… We must not allow cooperation among criminal networks to be stronger than cooperation among states,” the President stressed.
