PRESS RELEASE
AMBASSADOR OF THE REPUBLIC OF KOSOVO VISITS IFIMES
LJUBLJANA, 20 March 2014 – Directors of the International Institute for Middle-East and Balkan Studies (IFIMES) from Ljubljana Bakhatyar Aljaf and Zijad Bećirović today received Ambassador of the Republic of Kosovo Nexhmi Rexhepi and his deputy Naser Idriz.
During the conversation they exchanged views of the current events in Kosovo and the West Balkans and devoted special attention to the implementation of the Brussels Agreement concluded between Belgrade and Pristina.
IFIMES Director Bećirović presented the activities of the Institute and new projects planned for this year, whereby stress has been laid on the West Balkans where the Institute will be especially active on the projects related to fighting organised crime and corruption. Regarding the initiative to set up the ad hoc tribunal for prosecuting war crimes that would have its official seat outside Kosovo IFIMES directors expressed their opinion that the international community should carry out a wider discussion on this topic. In Kovoso there is already the EU civil mission (EULEX) which is in charge of implementing the rule of law. Care should therefore be taken to prevent duplication of competencies between individual institutions. Domestic judicial institutions should be empowered to prosecute war crimes suspects, since dealing with the truth is the only way to achieve justice and reconciliation both in Kosovo and the broader region.
The IFIMES International Institute will pay special attention to the announced parliamentary election in Kovoso which is scheduled for the first half of this year.
At the end of the talks IFIMES directors Aljaf and Bećirović stressed the importance of visa liberalisation for Kosovo citizens in order to enable their freedom of movement throughout the EU countries and to facilitate Kosovo's integration in the region and the EU.
Ljubljana, 20 March 2014
