Europe’s youngest country, Kosovo, celebrated the 17th anniversary of its declaration of independence with a reception hosted by Ambassador of Kosovo Agon Vrenezi, in Ankara.
M. Ferhat YUKSEL
The event, held at the Divan Hotel in Ankara, was attended by prominent state officials such as Minister of Labor and Social Security Vedat Işıkhan, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Zeki Levent Gümrükçü, and Deputy Minister of National Defense Bilal Durdalı, as well as many guests from the fields of diplomacy and business.
In his speech, the Ambassador of Kosovo, Agon Vrenezi, emphasized the deep-rooted relations between the two countries, stating, “For centuries, we have stood by each other in joy and sorrow, celebrated our achievements together, and supported one another in difficult times.” Vrenezi highlighted that Albanians have made significant contributions to Turkey’s development and that the Turkish community in Kosovo is an inseparable part of the country. Relations between Turkey and Kosovo will deepen even further in the future. Vrenezi underscored the strong bond between the two nations by saying, “The friendship between Turkey and Kosovo will last forever.”
In his speech at the event, Minister Işıkhan stated that the relationship between Turkey and Kosovo is not merely diplomatic and added, “A deep-rooted history, a shared culture, and profound brotherhood connecting us. Our citizens of Kosovo origin living in our country are the strongest guarantee of this friendship. Likewise, the Turkish community in Kosovo reflects the historical and cultural ties between our countries.” Stressing that maintaining peace and stability in Kosovo is crucial for the peace and stability of the Balkans and Europe, Minister Işıkhan said, “In this regard, we actively support all efforts toward this goal in Kosovo, particularly the Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue Process and the NATO Kosovo Force.”
OUR TRADE VOLUME WILL EXCEED 1 BILLION DOLLARS
Işıkhan pointed out that Turkey-Kosovo relations are built on solid foundations and continued: “Today, we have established a comprehensive and extensive cooperation framework in many fields, including politics, economy, trade, military, and culture. While our investments in Kosovo continue to grow, our businesspeople persist in contributing to Kosovo’s economic development. The trade between our countries is also growing day by day. Soon, our trade volume will exceed 1 billion dollars.”
