Kosovo’s Chief Negotiator with the European Union, Jeton Zulfaj, is visiting Budapest, where he has called on Hungary to support Kosovo in obtaining EU candidate status and opening accession negotiations.
According to an official announcement, Zulfaj began his visit with a meeting with Hungary’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, László György Velkey.
During the meeting, Zulfaj thanked Hungary for its contribution to peace and security in Kosovo through NATO’s KFOR mission.
“Hungary is one of the major contributors to the mission,” Zulfaj stated.
He also praised the Stipendium Hungaricum scholarship programme, through which hundreds of students from Kosovo have had the opportunity to study at Hungarian universities.
A key topic of the meeting was Kosovo’s European integration process, ahead of the European Commission’s expected publication of its Enlargement Package at the end of October.
Zulfaj called for Budapest’s active support in advancing Kosovo’s path towards EU membership, stressing that the enlargement process should be based on merit, respect for fundamental European values and alignment with the European Union’s foreign policy.
According to Zulfaj, Kosovo upholds these values through democracy, freedom, the rule of law and respect for human rights.
He concluded by thanking Hungary for its continued support and welcoming its role in the “Friends of the Western Balkans” group, while urging Budapest to support Kosovo’s next steps towards EU membership.
