Haxhiu in Skopje on first trip abroad as speaker: Prizren-Tetovo road and Skopje-Blace motorway in focus

Albulena Haxhiu, the speaker of Kosovo's Assembly, was received with state honors in Skopje on Tuesday, on what she described as her first official visit abroad in the post. Her first meeting was with her counterpart, North Macedonia's parliament speaker Afrim Gashi, and during the day she also met Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski, Čair Mayor Izet Mexhiti and Tetovo Mayor Bilall Kasami.

Parliamentary cooperation

With Gashi, Haxhiu discussed strengthening inter-parliamentary cooperation through committees and friendship groups, and the role of parliaments in overseeing the implementation of agreements between the two countries. She thanked Skopje for supporting Kosovo in international organizations. Gashi said cooperation between the two parliaments is intense, and both spoke of the need to speed up the region's European integration, based on merit and reforms.

Infrastructure projects with Mickoski

In the meeting with Mickoski, according to Kosovo's Assembly, the focus was on the Prizren-Tetovo road link, the Skopje-Blace motorway and energy interconnection. “These projects matter beyond infrastructure. They make it easier for people and goods to move, and at the same time they show that Kosovo and North Macedonia cooperate as two good neighbors,” Haxhiu said, adding that the Assembly will follow them closely until completion. Also on Tuesday, according to RTV21 as reported by Gazeta Express, on-site work began on the second, roughly 10.5-kilometer section of the Skopje-Blace motorway, which is expected to be finished in the summer of 2030.

Speaking to the media, Haxhiu also commented on Serbia's election. “First of all, it is very important that authoritarian regimes are punished. We do not have much faith that the mindset there in Serbia will change much,” she said, adding that Kosovo will stand firm against any challenge.