
Kosovo's President, Vjosa Osmani, in an interview with "Politico" said that NATO membership is more urgent for Kosovo than membership in the European Union.
Osmani said that it would be in NATO's strategic interest to expand towards the Western Balkans, especially in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo.
"I see NATO membership as more urgent than European integration. EU membership takes time...but I believe that NATO is more necessary for the region. NATO membership for us would mean being safe, of course because of Serbia and Russia. I believe that Russia has an interest in destabilizing the Western Balkans and the European continent. I am not giving up on this. The more NATO territory there is in the Western Balkans, the more Russia would hesitate. I believe that it is a strategic interest for NATO to expand in the Western Balkans, especially in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Kosovo," Osmani said from Berlin.
She said that Kosovo meets the criteria for NATO membership, and that it has spent over 2 percent of GDP on defense, and that defense investments will double within the next 4 years.
Osmani said that if Kosovo were in NATO, Serbia would never dare to commit acts of aggression.
She said that Kosovo has no other alternative than the Euro-Atlantic path. She said that although Kosovo has made the necessary reforms, has harmonized its foreign policy with that of the EU, its European path is still blocked.
"We feel that this pro-European approach has not been appreciated, but rather taken for granted," said Osmani.
She said she hopes that Germany will take a leading role and that the enlargement process will be based on merit.
"If this were taken into account, then Kosovo would be in the lead," Osmani said.