The FINANCIAL — Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama says his country and neighboring Kosovo could one day have a single president, although he added that it was not likely to happen in the near future.
Rama made his comments on February 18 while addressing Kosovo’s parliament to celebrate the young country’s 10th anniversary since its declaration of independence from Serbia, a move Belgrade has never recognized.
Rama said having a single president would be a “symbol of national unity” between Albania and Kosovo, both of which have ethnic-Albanian majorities, according to RFE/RL.
He noted that Tirana and Pristina already share some diplomatic missions around the world, and said, “Why not a single president, as a symbol of national unity?”
He acknowledged, though, that this was not likely to happen anytime soon, but added that “history tells us that it is not impossible for a dream to come true.”
His comments are sure to anger Serbia, which in the past has accused Tirana of seeking to create a “Greater Albania” — which Albania denies.
Rama said that in the future, “Albanians and Serbians will co-exist…like two countries with good neighborly relations that are an integral part of the European Union.”
Kosovo declared independence from Serbia nine years after NATO’s 78-day bombing campaign in 1999 halted a Serbian crackdown on ethnic Albanian separatists in what was then a province of Serbia.
German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel on a visit to Pristina said that “acceptance of Kosovo’s independence” is a condition Serbia must meet if it hopes to join the European Union.
However, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic told Reuters in an interview on February 16 that he doubts the Serbian people would ever accept full recognition of Kosovo’s independence, even if it were a condition of EU membership.
With reporting by AFP and Gazeta Express
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