Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kosovo, Hashim Thaci is paying an official visit to Turkey on 18-20 February, 2015 upon the invitation extended by Minister of Foreign Affairs Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu.

Within the framework of his visit, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Thaci met with the Minister of Foreign Affairs Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu. Prospects for further developing the bilateral relations that are already in excellent condition, as well as current regional and international issues, were discussed during the tete-a-tete meeting and the meetings between the delegations. A joint press conference was held after the meetings.

Speaking at the press conference Foreign Minister Çavuşoğlu expressed his pleasure for hosting Hashim Thaçi, Foreign Minister of Kosovo “a friend and a brotherly country”. Foreign Minister Çavuşoğlu stated that he is glad to take this opportunity to congratulate Kosovo due to the progress achieved since the independence, as the visit coincided with the seventh anniversary of the independence of the Republic of Kosovo.

Emphasizing that Turkey always supports Kosovo’s integration with European institutions, Foreign Minister Çavuşoğlu indicated that Kosovo must be a member of the Council of Europe and that he conveyed this issue to the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Mr. Thorbjørn Jagland.

Stating that during the meetings they also exchanged views on developing economic and trade relations, Foreign Minister Çavuşoğlu said “Our trade volume is approaching 300 million dollars, however we regard this volume as insufficient. Currently Turkey is the 4th biggest trade partner of Kosovo but we want to be the first.”