Minister of Trade and Industry, Bajram Hasani, attended the meeting of CEFTA ministers, held on 23 November 2017 in Belgrade.
At this meeting, Minister Hasani presented before the participants the commitment and dedication during the Kosovo's presidency of CEFTA agreement in 2018. Mr Hasani said that CEFTA's presidency in 2018 is of particular importance because, in essence, its activities will be included in the priorities that are part of the multi-annual agenda and will have a direct impact on the implementation of the measures as part of the regional economic zone, as concluded at the joint CEFTA meeting in 2016 and confirmed by the prime ministers at the Trieste Summit.
Minister Hasani commented on his recent statements on the position of Kosovo in CEFTA and the role of UNMIK.
"The Government of the Republic of Kosovo is committed to the bilateral agreement concluded in 2012 between Kosovo and Serbia about Kosovo's representation in regional forums. However, there are still difficulties for regional inclusion and especially for Kosovo, as the right designation for Kosovo is not used in CEFTA due the insistence of the Serbian side towards UNMIK. A concrete example is the Additional Protocol 6 and the Transit Trade in goods that go to Kosovo through Serbia", added Minister Hasani.
The head of the Ministry of Trade estimated that it would be wrong if the EU and other stakeholders see his statement and the position of Kosovo solely from the political standpoint.
"I think we should focus more on the economic and trade impact rather than preventing Kosovo from deepening the CEFTA efforts. Kosovo has joined the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) and the Transport Treaty on its behalf. Just because CEFTA agreement was signed in the past, this should not mean that Kosovo should be penalized forever, while the new agreements include Kosovo without special designation or footnote. Let's not forget that the EU is a facilitator and monitors the implementation of the bilateral agreement signed in 2012 between Kosovo and Serbia about Kosovo's representation in regional forums, therefore we expect an increased EU's commitment and pressure on Serbia to fully respect this agreement", said Minister Hasani.