To become a member of the Council of Europe, the country needs friends “who represent us truthfully”, Kurti said in an interview with the Neue Zürcher Zeitung published on Friday.
Kosovo is aiming to join the Council of Europe next year, he told the paper. In the run-up, he said, it was a matter of geopolitics. The BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) would not recognise Kosovo. “We need Switzerland’s support,” Kurti said. The interview came after his meeting with President Alain Berset a week ago.
Switzerland supports Kosovo’s aspiration to join the Council of Europe, the Swiss foreign ministry announced after the meeting. Its admission would allow all inhabitants of the country – including members of the Serbian minority – to have access to the European Court of Human Rights.
Call for restraint
After the meeting, Berset called on Kosovo and Serbia to implement agreements negotiated in Brussels and Ohrid in the spring, which should help normalise relations between the two countries. Berset emphasised Switzerland’s support in the normalisation process, according to the foreign ministry.
Two days after the meeting, heavy fighting broke out in Serb-inhabited northern Kosovo. “There will be a before and after September 24,” Kurti said in the interview.
The Swiss foreign ministry condemned the attack on Kosovo police “in the strongest possible terms”. It called for calm and restraint.
This news story has been written and carefully fact-checked by an external editorial team. At SWI swissinfo.ch we select the most relevant news for an international audience and use automatic translation tools such as DeepL to translate it into English. Providing you with automatically translated news gives us the time to write more in-depth articles. You can find them here.
External Content
Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.
Almost finished… We need to confirm your email address. To complete the subscription process, please click the link in the email we just sent you.
Popular Stories
More
Culture
Wealth is not all: how gentrification in Zurich has led to housing shortage
Swiss invention: 90-year anniversary of first T-bar ski lift
This content was published on
On Monday it will be 90 years since the world’s first T-bar ski lift went into service in Davos. This Swiss invention was an instant success.
Iran summons Swiss ambassador over US and Italy arrests
This content was published on
Iran has summoned the Swiss ambassador, who represents US interests, to protest against the arrest in the US and Italy of two Iranians.
Swisscom receives greenlight for acquisition of Vodafone Italia
This content was published on
The takeover of Vodafone Italia by Swisscom is nearing completion. All relevant authorities have now approved the €8 billion (CHF7.45 billion) deal.
Novo Nordisk stock market plunge drags down Swiss device maker Ypsomed
This content was published on
The Danish pharmaceutical giant, Novo Nordisk, faced setbacks on Friday that weighed on the share price of Swiss injection device manufacturer Ypsomed.
Swiss press react to EU deal with mix of euphoria and scepticism
This content was published on
Swiss media reaction to the agreement between Switzerland and the EU varies widely. Some are celebrating, while others worry about what is to come.
Swiss Solidarity donations to tackle child abuse top CHF4 million
This content was published on
Swiss Solidarity, the humanitarian arm of the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SBC), has raised over CHF4 million ($4.3 million) to tackle child abuse.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Kosovo prime minister to visit Switzerland
This content was published on
Albin Kurti, the prime minister of Kosovo, will make a courtesy visit to the Swiss capital, Bern, at the end of the week.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.