Kosovo President Atifete Jahjaga welcomed Tuesday’s decision of the Board of the “Global Community Engagement and Resilience Fund” (GCERF) taken in Geneva, to include Kosovo in this Fund’s initiatives on prevention and facing of violent extremism through local initiatives.

“Kosovo’s inclusion, as one of the states that will benefit from the 25 million dollars fund, has been made upon my request for provision of help for communities in danger of this phenomenon inside Kosovo. Access to this fund will establish new partnerships and opportunities for various initiatives, which will help empowerment of citizens to play an active role in prevention of violent extremism.

It is by now clear that Kosovo, as are many other countries in Europe, has been touched by the influence of terrorist networks, which promote an agenda of violent extremism inside and outside the country, in the shape of participation in foreign wars and other terrorist activities. Today’s arrests, result of a close cooperation between the Kosovar and Italian Police Forces, are new evidence of the outlay of this problem and the threat it presents to all of us.

We have by now demonstrated that security institutions of the Republic of Kosovo are fully dedicated to not allow these elements to find space in Kosovo, but our engagement towards uprooting of this challenge to the security of the citizens of Kosovo and its allies will depend upon a wide and an all-encompassing cooperation, which addresses the causes which incite violent extremism,” Jahjaga said.

Global Community Engagement and Resilience Fund, with its headquarters in Geneva, was established  as the first global effort to, through public-private partnership, in cooperation with governments, civil society and private sector, support engagements of the states to address the violent extremism and radicalism. Office of the President of Kosovo has closely coordinated the process of inclusion of Kosovo in these initiatives.

President Jahjaga has visited the seat of the Global Community Engagement and Resilience Fund in Geneva in March of this year and has met with the leaders of this organisation during the UN General Assembly Session in September this year in New York.