“It is a true honor to welcome my close friend, Prime Minister Edi Rama,” Rutte said during a joint press statement at NATO headquarters.

“Albania is a rock-solid ally and is on track to meet the 2% defense spending target – a significant commitment,” he added.

Rutte also noted Albania’s efforts to strengthen its domestic defense industry, including through state-owned enterprises, calling it a vital contribution to NATO’s collective capabilities.

“We need a stronger industrial base across NATO, and Albania is doing its part,” he added.

Highlighting Albania’s support for Ukraine, Rutte cited the country’s contributions to NATO missions and bilateral efforts, including participation in multinational operations in Latvia, Bulgaria, and Kosovo, and its involvement in the Wiesbaden coordination center for military aid to Ukraine.

“You are doing much more than expected for a country of your size. Albania may not be the largest ally, but it’s certainly one of the most committed,” he said.

“NATO can count on Albania, and Albania can always count on NATO.”

Today’s meeting follows Albania’s sixth Intergovernmental Conference with the EU, held Wednesday in Brussels, where four new chapters in Albania’s EU accession talks were opened.

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After the meeting with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, Kosovo government head said that he had “proposed a clear plan on implementation of the framework agreement, but after the meeting, the two dialogue mediators had handed over a two-page document that envisages no agreement implementation, but preconditions its implementation with establishment of the Association.”

Kurti said he was not aware about such a document and that he had criticized the EU Special Representative for the Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue, Miroslav Lajčák, for compromising his role in the dialogue by accepting such a precondition before the Ohrid Agreement was reached.

Kurti stated that before progress is made, the Serbian precondition should be turned down as it seriously hampers implementation of the Brussels and Ohrid agreements.

“It is regrettable that EU Envoy Lajčák has accepted such a precondition by Serbia and by doing so he has compromised his role as dialogue facilitator and I can’t accept such a thing as it would harm Kosovo. We were not aware of such a document. I found out today why no progress has been made in implementing the agreement in the last six months,” Kurti said.

Kosovo government head also called for removal of the EU punitive measures against Kosovo, stating that the country has taken measures to deescalate situation in north.

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Kosovo government official sources said Sunday that the decisions of the Kosovo institutions have been included in the previous accords reached between the two countries during talks in Brussels and therefore they can’t be a topic for discussion.

The spokesperson of the European Union, Peter Stano, has affirmed the meeting between Kurti and Vucic in Brussels on August 18, saying that both leaders had accepted the invitation of the High Representative, Josep Borrell. The representative of the EU for the dialogue, Miroslav Lajçak, will also attend this meeting.

The invitation was sent at a time of heightened tensions in Kosovo’s north after local Serbs set up barricades to oppose two Kosovo government decisions related to Serbian documents and license plates.

The barricades were removed on the afternoon of 1 August, and PM Kurti decided to postpone the implementation of these two decisions for a month until September 1.

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