Kosovo expects Croatia's support in the further process of its recognition and admission to international institutions, the Speaker of the Kosovo National Assembly, Jakup Krasniqi, told an Assembly session in Pristina on Wednesday during a visit by his Croatian counterpart Luka Bebic.
"We thank the friendly Croatian people for their solidarity and we expect their further assistance in winning international recognition, including support for membership of international institutions," Krasniqi told the National Assembly and the visiting Croatian delegation.
He said that Kosovo was facing many internal and external challenges, notably "Serbia's policy of hatred" towards its former province that declared independence in February 2008.
"Belgrade encourages criminal structures that obstruct the integration of the Serb community. Serbia must abandon its policy of interventionism and hatred and stop causing damage to Kosovo," Krasniqi said, adding that regardless of that the Kosovo authorities would continue to pursue their "policy of love and reconciliation".
Bebic said in his address that he had come at the end of the term of the present Croatian Parliament to express support to Kosovo as a friendly country.
"I want to emphasise clearly that Croatia strongly supports the integrity and territorial indivisibility of Kosovo," Bebic said, adding that the resolution of outstanding issues between Kosovo and Serbia required stronger cooperation between Pristina and Belgrade.
"Resolution of issues that encumber people's everyday lives on both sides will pave the way to stability and European integration," he added. Bebic pledged full support to Kosovo and other neighbours in the European integration process.
Both Krasniqi and Bebic stressed the importance of protecting the Kosovo Albanian minority in Croatia and the ethnic Croats in Kosovo. Krasniqi said that as part of the future amendment of the Kosovo Constitution, the small Croatian community should be recognised as an ethnic minority.
The Croatian delegation is scheduled to visit Janjevo on Thursday. Janjevo has a population of about 300 Croats and is the largest Croatian community in Kosovo. In 1991, about 8,800 ethnic Croats lived in Kosovo.
The Croatian delegation will also visit the 20-strong 8th Croatian contingent with NATO's peacekeeping mission in Kosovo (KFOR).
