Kosovo’s former foreign minister, Enver Hoxhaj, is visiting Sulaymaniyah in the Kurdistan Region, where he is attending the Slemani Strategic Forum at the invitation of Qubad Talabani, Deputy Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government.
As part of the forum, Hoxhaj met with Sulaymaniyah Governor Dr Haval Abubaker and several members of the regional government.
In a Facebook post on Friday morning, Hoxhaj said he had thanked Governor Abubaker for the hospitality extended to him in the Kurdistan Region and for providing Kosovo with an opportunity to share its experience with participants from different regions.
In a separate post, the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) MP said discussions had continued beyond the forum’s panel sessions. He confirmed that he had met with Kurdistan Regional Government ministers responsible for defence, infrastructure and labour.
Hoxhaj also reported meetings with Frans Timmermans, former Executive Vice-President of the European Commission; Dimitris Avramopoulos, former European Commissioner for Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship; and Lord Grimstone of Boscobel, former British Minister for Investment.
He also met Hryhoriy Nemyria, former Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine and First Deputy Chair of the Ukrainian Parliament’s Committee on Foreign Policy and Interparliamentary Cooperation.
In his post, Hoxhaj described Kosovo as an example of state-building and a point of reference for small countries seeking to strengthen their international voice.
“It is essential that we bring Kosovo’s diplomacy back to the forefront of our efforts, with a stronger presence wherever international debates take place and sustained engagement with our partners,” Hoxhaj wrote on Facebook.
A day earlier, on the sidelines of the same forum, Hoxhaj had also met former Bulgarian Prime Minister Kiril Petkov and Ali Babacan, Turkey’s former Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister.
