Kosovo’s Foreign Minister, Enver Hoxhaj, said in an interview for TV Art that Kosovo has good relations with the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia but that communication between the two countries may suffer as a result of the mistreatment of Albanians arrested in the Kumanovo case. “The Kumanovo incident has been overcome but what often makes the relations with Skopje difficult is the mistreatment of inmates during their transport from prison to the court. We have raised our concerns at the political level because this is unacceptable.

Kosovo’s Foreign Minister, Enver Hoxhaj, said today that the universal recognition of Kosovo’s independence and statehood remains the top priority of Kosovo’s foreign policy. In his report to the Kosovo Assembly’s Foreign Affairs Committee, Hoxhaj said his ministry was making outstanding efforts to increase the number of recognitions of Kosovo’s independence. “Kosovo will get three new recognitions by the end of the year.

Several news websites report that Kosovo’s Foreign Minister Enver Hoxhaj met in Strasbourg with Thorbjørn Jagland, the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, and discussed the further advancement of relations. Hoxhaj briefed Jagland on political developments in Kosovo, the need for more substantial relations between Kosovo and the Council of Europe and other issues. Hoxhaj said after the meeting that he is optimistic for the start of a new period of cooperation.

After meeting the most senior authorities at the EU in Brussels, Kosovo’s Foreign Minister Enver Hoxhaj is visiting today Strasbourg where he met with Euro-deputies of different political parties and powerful parliamentary groups of the European Parliament.

In an interview for Radio Free Europe in Albanian, Kosovo’s Foreign Minister Enver Hoxhaj said that dialogue between Pristina and Belgrade will continue in the same format as until now but that the government of Kosovo hopes doe a more creative approach to the process “to know what are the exact parametres of the dialogue and the final objectives”. Hoxhaj said there needs to be a clear timeframe of the dialogue process and should end in mutual recognition between Kosovo and Serbia. “A dialogue whose goal is not recognition is senseless and objectiveless to us,” said Hoxhaj.

Kosovo’s Foreign Minister, Enver Hoxhaj, met in the framework of the Bled Strategic Forum the European Parliament’s rapporteur on visa liberalisation for Kosovo, Tanja Fajon. Hoxhaj hailed yesterday’s European Parliament civil liberties committee (LIBE) vote to move forward with the visa liberalisation process but noted that there will be no positive decision until Kosovo Assembly ratifies border demarcation agreement with Montenegro. “This is the key message conveyed to me today by Tanja Fajon,” said Hoxhaj.

Kosovo’s Foreign Minister, Enver Hoxhaj, said that the Turkish Embassy’s note calling on the government of Kosovo to take necessary legal steps against the Gazeta Express journalist Berat Buzhala for his Facebook comments over the coup attempt in Turkey is out of the ordinary, unacceptable and an overreaction.  Hoxhaj said Buzhala’s comments were sarcastic and had no political motives. “In my view, the Turkish Embassy in Pristina overreacted,” said Hoxhaj adding that Kosovo respects freedom of expression and of the press.

The UN mission in Kosovo rejects the allegations of the Kosovo Foreign Minister Enver Hoxhaj, that UNMIK is not desirable in Kosovo and that its mandate was extended because of Russia, which opposes the change of resolution 1244 of the Security Council of the United Nations.

UNMIK spokesman Jan Malekzade told the TV channel Tribuna that no country alone can decide on the mandate of UNMIK and its activities and that it is the decision of the Security Council.

Kosovo’s Foreign Minister, Enver Hoxhaj, said in a meeting with the British Ambassador, Ruairí O’Connell that he will make outmost efforts to secure more recognitions for Kosovo to enable it to gain membership in international organisations.  “We will leave no stone unturned to boost sovereignty of Kosovo to exercise it”, Hoxhaj is quoted to have said.   He stressed that Great Britain remains an important supporter of independent Kosovo and will also help in in its path to joining international organisations.