Taoiseach visiting Irish Defence Forces in Kosovo as part of Western Balkans tour

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar is in Kosovo today (Thursday) to meet members of the Irish Defence Forces serving with the KFOR Kosovo mission, as well as Garda and civilian experts working with the EU’s EULEX Rule of Law Mission in the country.

The visit is part of a wider tour this week of the Western Balkans, where the Taoiseach is meeting the Presidents and Prime Ministers of Kosovo, Montenegro and North Macedonia, to discuss their applications for EU membership along with local and regional security issues.

During his visit today to the Kosovan capital Pristina, the Taoiseach will be briefed on the work of KFOR by Mission Deputy Commander General Federico Bernacca, and will meet with Head of the EULEX Mission, Giovanni Pietro Barbano. He will meet with Irish personnel serving with both missions, and thank them for the important work they are doing to ensure peace and stability in a fragile region.

Later today he will meet Kosovo’s Prime Minister Albin Kurti, and President Vjosa Osmani-Sadriu. He will also travel to Montenegro today to meet Prime Minister Milojko Spajić, and President Jakov Milatović.

On Friday, he will visit Northern Macedonia to meet Prime Minister Dimitar Kovačevski and President Stevo Pendarovski.

Ireland has long advocated for countries in the Western Balkans to aim for full EU membership, and the Taoiseach’s discussions with political leaders will focus on the reforms required to join the Union. The Taoiseach will also raise peace and security challenges in the Western Balkans, global issues such as Russia’s war on Ukraine, the desperate situation in Gaza, and ways to strengthen bilateral ties between Ireland and the Western Balkans.

Ahead of his visit the Taoiseach said:

“I am pleased that my first overseas visit of the year is to our partners in the Western Balkans. It is a great honour as Taoiseach to be able to thank the Irish Defence Forces personnel in KFOR and their Garda and civilian colleagues in EULEX for their vital work, and to say how proud we are of their role in a fragile region. We also think of our peacekeepers with UNIFIL in Lebanon, and UNDOF in Syria, and the long and distinguished Irish record of UN peacekeeping.

“The future of Kosovo, Montenegro, and North Macedonia lies within the EU, and I know that all three countries are committed to implementing the necessary reforms. I look forward to discussing how we in Ireland, and our partners across Europe, can help these three countries to achieve full EU membership. I will particularly encourage the leaders of Kosovo to focus their efforts on normalising relations with Serbia, under the Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue, which is essential for their path to EU membership.”