CORRECTS - Kosovo president reiterates excellent bilateral relations with Türkiye

CORRECTS PRONOUN IN LEDE, PARA 5

By Talha Ozturk

BELGRADE, Serbia (AA) - Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani after a meeting with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu on Sunday said her country has "excellent interstate relations" with Türkiye.

According to a statement released by the presidency in the capital Pristina, Osmani and Cavusoglu discussed bilateral cooperation in foreign policy, defense, trade, and other fields, as well as current developments in the region and Europe.

Osmani stressed that integrating the Western Balkans into Euro-Atlantic structures restricts Russia's influence and destabilizing tendency in the region, the statement said.

"I appreciate President (Recep Tayyip) Erdogan's clear support for Kosovo's membership in NATO and other international institutions. We need such support from Türkiye for Kosovo's candidacy to the Council of Europe," the president said.

She emphasized that Türkiye is one of their important NATO partners and that the Turkish community in Kosovo, as well as the large Albanian diaspora in Türkiye, serves as a strong bridge between the two countries.

The two countries' relations have the potential to deepen, especially in the fields of investment and Kosovo's exports to Türkiye.

During his visit to Kosovo, Cavusoglu also met with Prime Minister Albin Kurti.

"We discussed the possibilities of improving our cooperation with Kosovo Prime Minister Kurti. We emphasized the threat posed by the presence of FETO (terror group) for Kosovo," said Cavusoglu on social media.

After his official meetings in the capital, Cavusoglu is scheduled to visit Prizren, where he will meet with the Turkish community, and is also expected to visit the Turkish battalion and the city of Mamusa.

The Turkish foreign minister is currently on a tour of the Balkans and has so far visited Serbia, North Macedonia, Croatia, and Kosovo.

Earlier in the day, Türkiye and Kosovo signed a civil aviation memorandum of understanding to increase the number of flights.