UK huge supporter of Kosovo's independence: Foreign secretary

By Talha Ozturk

BELGRADE, Serbia (AA) – British Foreign Secretary David Cameron said on Thursday that the UK is a huge supporter of Kosovo's independence.

Cameron said that during his meeting with Prime Minister Albin Kurti and Foreign Minister Donika Gervalla-Schwarz, they talked about Kosovo's security, economy, and fight against corruption.

He arrived in Kosovo's capital on Wednesday for a two-day official visit.

“These are all areas we are helping and we want to continue to help. Because we are huge support of Kosovo's independence, Kosovo’s sovereignty, and Kosovo's right to be recognized by others as a fully sovereign country,” said Cameron in a joint press conference with Gervalla-Schwarz in the capital Pristina.

Cameron said they held discussions to find ways to support Kosovo more in terms of security and recognition by more countries.

“We are here to support you, to promote you, and to help you in all the ways we can. We talked this morning about your security and the important contributions that we can make to that. We are proud of the fact that Britain plays a big role in KFOR (Kosovo Force). We had over 600 British troops this year. We are proud of the training and support that we are giving to your armed forces and the great success that they had in training in the UK,” said Cameron.

The Kosovo Force is a NATO-led international peacekeeping force in Kosovo.

Foreign Minister Gervalla-Schwarz for her part said the UK is a special partner of Kosovo in both bilateral and multilateral relations.

Kosovo declared its independence from Serbia in 2008, with most UN member states including the US, the UK, France, Germany, and Türkiye recognizing it as an autonomous country.

Serbia, however, still considers Kosovo as its territory.