Shiroka-Pula receives Montenegrin minister Marash Dukaj: Montenegro's Albanians a bridge between the two countries

Kosovo President Justina Shiroka-Pula on Tuesday received Montenegro's minister of public administration, Marash Dukaj, in Pristina, accompanied by Montenegro's ambassador to Kosovo, Bernard Çobaj.

Communities as a bridge

According to a statement from the presidency, the meeting praised the role of Albanians in Montenegro and Montenegrins in Kosovo as a “bridge between the two countries” and as important contributors to strengthening friendship, understanding and cooperation between the two peoples. Dukaj, an Albanian politician from Montenegro, congratulated Shiroka-Pula on the start of her term and wished her success.

The president thanked the minister for the visit and his good wishes, stressing the importance of good relations and cooperation between Kosovo and Montenegro. She said preserving and advancing these relations is in both countries' interest and expressed readiness to support deeper cooperation in areas of common interest.

Neighbors with steady relations

Montenegro recognized Kosovo's independence in 2008 and the two countries have diplomatic relations, while the border between them was demarcated under an agreement ratified in 2018. The Albanian communities in Ulcinj, Tuzi, Plav and Gusinje and the Montenegrin community in Kosovo are often seen by both sides as a basis for cooperation.

Dukaj's visit comes in a busy week for regional diplomacy, after Serbia's Oct. 25 election and the official visit to North Macedonia by Kosovo Assembly Speaker Albulena Haxhiu the same day.