Doha, March 25 (QNA) - HE President of the Republic of Kosovo Vjosa Osmani expressed her gratitude and that of her people for the support provided by the State of Qatar to her country since its independence in 2011 until now, describing the bilateral relations between the two countries as very special, which is witnessing continuous development thanks to the political will of the leadership of the two countries.
In an interview with Qatar News Agency (QNA) on the occasion of her visit to Qatar, HE the President said that Kosovo is very keen to advance its bilateral relations with the State of Qatar, especially in light of the many areas of cooperation in which the two countries can enhance their participation, noting that her country's relations with the State of Qatar began in 2011 when Qatar recognized the independence of Kosovo and later diplomatic relations were established, with the Kosovo Embassy in Doha doing its best to ensure the progress of new projects between the two countries.
Her Excellency stressed that the two countries can enhance their economic cooperation and other fields such as education, pointing out that these issues will be raised with Qatari officials during this visit.
In this context, HE President Vjosa Osmani praised Qatar's support for her country after the 1999 war, from which Kosovo emerged in ruins, and most of its people were without homes, but Qatar helped the rebuilding, adding that the two countries are working on several projects, and they can do more to reach the maximum level of cooperation, and therefore this visit to Doha will undoubtedly contribute to opening new horizons for enhancing cooperation.
Also, Her Excellency stressed her country's welcome of foreign investment, which is increasing daily due to the appropriate conditions, adding that Kosovo provides many attractions for foreign investors, as well as free trade agreements with the European Union, Turkey, and many other countries around the world.
HE President of Kosovo Vjosa Osmani said that her country, which has suffered from the scourge of war, greatly appreciates the role that the State of Qatar plays in addressing regional and international crises by promoting dialogue, peace and security. She expressed her pride in Qatar's hosting of the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar as the first country in the Middle East to host such major international events, indicating that Qatar, besides being a center for diplomacy and dialogue, is also a center for sports, which enhances great confidence that the next World Cup will be successful by all standards.
Speaking about the future of Kosovo, HE President Vjosa Osmani said that her country has been recognized by more than 100 countries so far, and Kosovo has succeeded in becoming a member of several international organizations, thus, this could be an incentive for other countries that have not yet recognized its independence to do so.
Her Excellency added that Kosovo still needs to do more to address the challenges it faces, through the support it received from several countries such as the State of Qatar, which always stands by Kosovo.
Regarding Kosovo's accession efforts to the UN Security Council and the European Union, HE President Vjosa Osmani made it clear that this matter does not depend only on her country but on the willingness of all permanent members of the UN Security Council. She explained that it is difficult to set a date for that, but Kosovo would never give up on this goal, stressing that Kosovo deserves to be a UN member. Concerning the European Union, she said that Kosovo took concrete steps and would move forward with this approach to apply for the European Union membership by the end of 2022, adding that Kosovo has to meet a lot of standards and commitments in this area, it's certainly ready to move forward.
About Kosovo's accession to the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Her Excellency told QNA that some OIC countries have not yet recognized the independence of Kosovo, calling in this context for those countries to do so. She said that by doing so, they would acknowledge the plight that the people faced in Kosovo for decades to become free and independent, adding that Kosovans paid a very high price for their freedom and independence.
At the end of her interview with QNA, HE President of the Republic of Kosovo Vjosa Osmani indicated that her country today needs more support from friendly countries to achieve further economic development and create more job opportunities, especially for young people, adding that Kosovo wants to attract more investment and establish good relations with many countries that are not hostile to Kosovo.
Speaking about the Russian-Ukrainian war, HE the President of Kosovo affirmed her rejection of the principle of war, especially that her country has suffered from its scourge for 20 years, and therefore the best way to settle disputes, from her point of view, is dialogue. (QNA)