UNMIK/PR/1528
PRISTINA – Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General in Kosovo (SRSG) Søren Jessen-Petersen and Kosovo Prime Minister Agim Ceku today attended a meeting of Prime Ministers of South Eastern Europe held in Bucharest. The meeting marks the political launch of negotiations on the expansion of the Central Europe Free Trade Agreement (CEFTA) into South Eastern Europe, to replace the existing network of bilateral free trade agreements.
Addressing the meeting, the SRSG stressed the importance of Kosovo for the stability of the entire region as “Kosovo stands at a crossroads”, both on account of its geographical location and because of the ongoing process to settle Kosovo’s future status. “Kosovo – like every other place in the region – must, in order to prosper, be an integral part of regional co-operation in general, and of trade in particular,” he said, describing Kosovo’s participation in the event “as a symbol of its status as a regional partner, and as a first step on the road to unfettered trade – and with that the political co-operation that must necessarily follow”.
The SRSG noted the significant role of CEFTA in promoting “not only trade, but also other forms of co-operation, most notably in respect of preparing its constituent parties for membership of the European Union”. He hoped that CEFTA will play a similar role as it extends into South Eastern Europe, where the states striving for EU accession “are fated to co-operate politically just as they are fated to work together economically”.
On behalf of Prime Minister Agim Ceku, the SRSG stressed the commitment of the Provisional Institutions of Self-Government in Kosovo (PISG) to fulfilling the conditions of involvement in the CEFTA process. “And we in UNMIK are committed to supporting them [the PISG] – for the benefit of all citizens in Kosovo, and of the wider region,” the SRSG said.
For the full text of the SRSG’s speech follow the link below: http://www.unmikonline.org/srsg/speeches.htm
