During the meeting, Spiropali praised President Osmani’s commitment to strengthening Kosovo’s relations with the international community, in particular with strategic partners, the United States of America and the countries of the European Union.

The minister reconfirmed Albania’s unwavering support for Kosovo’s Euro-Atlantic integration, emphasizing that, following the decision to lift restrictive measures, it is time for the European Union to decide without delay on granting Kosovo candidate country status.

Spiropali underlined that Albania will continue its active diplomatic engagement in support of Kosovo’s membership in international organizations, as well as on its path towards EU and NATO membership, considering this process of strategic significance for stability and security in the region. /gj.m/a.f/p.s./

In context of her official visit to Kosovo, Spiropali appeared at a joint press conference with First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Diaspora Glauk Konjufca.

Spiropali emphasized that the European Union’s enlargement policy should be used as a powerful tool and that the Western Balkans should not be allowed to be influenced by external actors who cause problems.

Focusing on the bilateral relations between the two countries, Spiropali emphasized that, “Kosovo is an absolute priority of Albania’s foreign policy.”

“We are strengthening a national axis and a natural alliance between two sovereign states, which have fraternal relations with each other and which share a common vision for the future,” she added.

She assessed that every step towards the international consolidation of Kosovo is an investment in security, dignity and stability throughout our Albanian space, but also in the region.

“Kosovo has confirmed its commitment to reforms and institutional stability. The lifting of European restrictive measures was certainly a necessity. The restrictive measures against Kosovo were against these objectives. Kosovo deserves the status of a EU candidate country without double standards and endless expectations”, added Spiropali.

While highlighting Albania’s clear and unwavering stance regarding Kosovo-Serbia dialogue, Spiropali stressed that, “Serbia must come to terms with this reality as a necessary step for true normalization of relations”.

“On ​​this path, Albania will continue to strongly support Kosovo. Dialogue with Serbia remains the path to a sustainable solution and long-term stability in the region, but stability is not built on denial. Kosovo is an independent and sovereign state. Mutual recognition is the only stable basis for a healthy relationship between the two states and in our region”, said Spiropali.

Spiropali also spoke about The Hague Trial, underlining that the KLA war was a just war.

“Today, in The Hague, the leaders of the KLA face justice and they represent freedom. The historical truth is not found in the court. We demand justice. And this is a responsibility to history,” she said. /a.f/p.s./

Spiropali, accompanied by Kosovo’s First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Diaspora, Glauk Konjufca, laid wreaths at the memorial site, where the sacrifice of the Jashari family is widely seen as a cornerstone of Kosovo’s statehood.

The two ministers were later received at the Jashari family compound by Rifat Jashari. Spiropali said the site stands as testimony that freedom came at the price of lives.

“In Prekaz, you feel the weight of history, but also the responsibility for the future. Freedom is not an automatic inheritance; it requires dignity, unity and justice every day. Prekaz does not ask for tears, but for us to be worthy,” Spiropali wrote on social media.

“In Prekaz, it is not only a battle that is remembered. It is the decision not to surrender,” she added.

During her visit, Foreign Minister Spiropali is expected to meet senior Kosovo officials, including Prime Minister Albin Kurti and President Vjosa Osmani. She is also scheduled to hold talks with representatives of the Kosovo Assembly and leaders of the main parliamentary parties.

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Her agenda carries meetings with her counterpart Glauk Konjufca, Speaker of the Parliament Albulena Haxhiu and Prime Minister Albin Kurti.

Spiropali will meet in the beginning First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Diaspora Glauk Konjufca.

According to a press release, the meeting between Konjufca and Spiropali will take place at 10:00, at the premises of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Diaspora.

It is also reported that Spiropali will hold meetings with the leaders of the main Parliamentary political parties in the Kosovo Assembly.

The talks will focus on promotion of cooperation between the two countries, reactivating institutional cooperation mechanisms, preparations for the joint G2G meeting and implementation of signed agreements. /p.s./

At the invitation of the Swiss Ambassador to Albania Ruth Huber, Spiropali participated in the presentation of the Swiss Cooperation Program 2026–2028.

During her speech, Spiropali spoke about the assistance over the years of the Swiss government in fundamental areas such as the democratization of Albania, the strengthening of institutions and the increase in the efficiency and quality of our services.

“The latest program implemented in the period 2022-25 was structured around 4 pillars: Good Governance, Economic Development and Employment, Service Infrastructure, Climate and Energy, and Health. These four pillars directly reflected and supported our reform agenda,” she said.

Spiropali also appreciated that in context of this cooperation, “There has been a concrete impact on the lives of the citizens, for an entrepreneur who found access to financing, for a municipality that improved the standard of public services, for a young person who gained professional skills and a more secure perspective for the future,” said Spiropali.

The Foreign Minister particularly appreciated the high standard of transparency, monitoring and accountability that has characterized this partnership.

Spiropali underlined that Switzerland will continue to remain one of the most important partners, with which we are united not only by the community of 250 thousand Albanians living in the friendly country, but also by a similar vision for the future.

“We will continue to keep our political dialogue active, to further strengthen the Bern-Tirana cooperation framework. We will work to deepen economic relations, by promoting investments, increasing trade volume and identifying new areas of cooperation for our entrepreneurship. Albanian-Swiss cooperation can be further strengthened in areas of common interest, such as innovation, cybersecurity, tourism, vocational education and other sectors with high potential. I am convinced that this will be our common direction”, added Spiropali. /j.p/p.s./

In a post on social media, Spiropali said that “four years after Russia launched its brutal and unjustified aggression against Ukraine, we commemorate the lives lost and stands in steadfast solidarity with a nation defending its freedom, sovereignty and democracy.”

“The courage of the Ukrainian people continues to inspire the world. Their resilience shows that terror cannot defeat the will to live free,” she wrote.

Foreign Minister said Albania reaffirms its unwavering backing for Ukraine “politically, diplomatically and through concrete actions.”

“Our solidarity is clear, principled and enduring. Ukraine is not alone,” she added.

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In response to views of opposition MPs who claim that 90% of the appointments in Albanian diplomacy are nepotistic, Spiropali said that this draft law regulates the mandate of the head of mission and the consular post, as well as the diplomatic personnel.

According to Spiropali, the draft law on the diplomatic service improves the professional criteria and those for career diplomats based on their academic levels.

“For the first time, we are introducing the concept of creating a diplomatic academy as an affiliated institution that will deal with the professional growth of diplomats within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This law more clearly defines the inclusion of diplomatic and consular missions outside the diplomatic career. Only 25% of diplomats are outside the career system, that is, non-career diplomats. The draft law enables admission into the foreign service of experienced citizens in foreign organizations and ensures verification of integrity of foreign personnel”, said Spiropali.

Minister Spiropali stated that this creates a much more rational situation also in the issue of ranks awarded in the diplomatic service and strengthens the criteria and deadlines. /e.i/j.p/p.s./

We will continue to be a staunch advocate for Kosovo’s rights on the international stage, said Spiropali, because the regional stability depends on a strong, recognized and Euro-Atlantic integrated Kosovo.

In this context, according to her, the trial at the Hague against KLA leaders assumes special significance.

“Albania remains committed to international justice. But international justice is not an abstract concept. It is measured by the standard of equality, by its coherence and by the ability not to become an instrument of one-sided historical readings. Kosovo war was not a conflict for power. It was a fight for survival and for freedom, after a long period of systematic repression. This is an internationally documented historical fact. For this reason, any judicial process related to that period must be conducted with a full awareness of the context, the disproportion of force and the reality of the crimes committed against the civilian population”, said Spiropali.

Spiropali emphasized that, “Justice cannot function with double standards, it cannot create the perception that the victim and the aggressor are placed on the same moral and historical plane”.

When justice loses its sense of proportionality, according to her, it risks losing legitimacy.

“Albania will defend with dignity the historical truth of Kosovo. It will defend the principle that justice must be impartial, but not blind to reality. And it will stand by any process that guarantees high legal standards, transparency and equal treatment. Reconciliation depends on justice. And without historical truth, there is no lasting peace in the region,” stated the foreign minister. /gj.m/r.e/p.s./

Speaking at a press conference following the Corridor VIII ministerial in Tirana, Spiropali said Rama will represent Albania in his role as a founding member of the board. At this stage, the country has no financial obligations under the initiative, she noted, adding that the matter was thoroughly debated in parliament, which ratified the participation agreement.

“Prime Minister Rama will attend the inaugural Board of Peace meeting in the United States. Albania is represented by the Prime Minister as a founding member, which is positive news,” she said.

Spiropali confirmed that Albania is committed to contributing personnel to the International Stabilisation Force in Gaza, with participating countries expected to be formally announced by the U.S. president.

She emphasized that beyond these operational commitments, there are no current financial obligations.

Foreign Minister also highlighted Albania’s role in Board of Peace activities, stressing the country’s experience in transitioning from totalitarian rule to democracy, its social and economic development, and its record of religious and ethnic tolerance.

She described these as assets Albania can bring to the board’s work, which is designed to complement, not replace, existing multilateral frameworks such as the United Nations.

“The Board of Peace is not an alternative to the European Union, which remains our main national and strategic priority,” Spiropali said. “It is a complementary mechanism where Albania can make a meaningful contribution.”

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“Corridor VIII is not merely an investment. It is a strategic necessity,” Spiropali said at the opening of a ministerial meeting in Tirana on Wednesday. The gathering brought together foreign ministers and senior officials for talks on Corridor VIII, a regional transport and energy route linking the Adriatic and the Black Sea.

The session was attended by Antonio Tajani, Italy’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister; Timčo Mucunski, North Macedonia’s Foreign Minister; Nikolay Pavlov, Bulgaria’s Deputy Foreign Minister; and Romania’s Ambassador to Albania, Octavian Şerban.

Spiropali said the corridor represents the missing east-west link in the southern Balkans, connecting ports, markets and economies with the heart of Europe. Drawing a parallel with the ancient Via Egnatia, she said the project completes a historic task of linking the region more closely to the continent.

Connectivity, she added, “means opportunity, resilience and, in today’s Europe, security”.

Spiropali said Corridor VIII lies at the centre of Albania’s national transport strategy, with priority projects worth more than 2 billion euros, most of them ready for implementation.

She cited progress on the Durrës-Rrogozhinë railway line, financed by European funds, and engineering works under way on the subsequent segment towards Pogradec. A new railway linking Tirana with Durrës and the country’s main airport is in its final phase of construction, she said.

In the energy sector, a 400-kilovolt interconnection line with North Macedonia, following the corridor’s route, is nearing completion, she added.

Spiropali underlined the corridor’s role as a strategic asset for interoperability and European security, noting it is the only true east–west axis in Southeast Europe connecting NATO member states from the Adriatic to the Black Sea.

Beyond economic integration, the corridor would facilitate faster and more predictable movement of allied forces, equipment and supplies, strengthening security architecture on NATO’s southern flank, she said, referring to recent discussions at a NATO defence ministers’ meeting on military mobility in the region.

Spiropali also called for all segments of Corridor VIII to be incorporated into the European Union’s core Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T), arguing that without such status the project risks remaining strategically important but financially secondary.

“Inclusion in the core or extended core TEN-T network would unlock funding, synchronise investments and turn this corridor into a genuine European priority,” she said.

The next phase of the project should focus on practical coordination, including harmonised timelines among participating countries, interoperable technical standards, streamlined border procedures and coordinated financing from European instruments and international financial institutions, she added.

“For our region, this is not only a transport project. It is a political statement,” Spiropali said. “The Adriatic and the Black Sea are not Europe’s periphery – they are its gateways.”

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