Kosovo will apply for the EU membership by the end of this year, Prime Minister Albin Kurti announced in a joint press conference with the German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Friday.
The German Chancellor's visit to the country is part of his Balkans tour, including Serbia, North Macedonia, and Greece.
Regarding Kosovo's intention of applying for the EU membership, Kurti said: “We will continue our aspiration for EU candidate status, where we plan at the end of this year," asserting that the country will work to fulfil the EU membership requirements.
If the Balkans country files its application, Bosnia and Herzegovina will be the final Balkans land that is out of the bloc as Serbia and Montenegro started a new stage with their EU relations, on the other hand, North Macedonia and Albania are in the phase of negotiations.
During the joint press conference, Kurti expressed that the German parliament will vote for the presence of German troops in Kosovo as the country is keen to be part of the Peace and NATO program.
Kosovo is not a NATO or EU member, in addition, it is the only country in the Balkans that wasn't given visa-free travel to the bloc countries.
Moreover, there are five EU countries that didn't recognize the independence of Kosovo, and the organizations' membership should be guaranteed after all members approved the decision.
The five countries that deny the independence of Kosovo are Cyprus, Romania, Spain, Slovakia, and Greece.
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