January 1st, 2017, Prishtina – The President of the Republic of Kosovo, Hashim Thaçi, has congratulated the President of the Republic of Malta, Marie Louise Coleiro Preca, upon assuming the chairmanship of the Council of the European Union by the state of Malta.
In his telegram of congratulations sent to counterpart Coleiro Preca, President Thaçi has written that the leadership of the Council of the European Union by Malta and the principles that this country promotes, strengthen the trust of the Kosovars that they have chosen in the best way part of which family they want to be.
This is President Thaçi's telegram addressed to President Coleiro Preca:
Your Excellency, Honourable President Coleiro Preca,
Allow me to congratulate you for taking over the upcoming chairmanship of the Presidency of the Council of the European Union from January 1st, 2017 and to express my conviction that your leadership will contribute to the pushing forward of the most important issues for the European Union and the entire European continent.
Your chairmanship comes at a crucial time for the EU, at the moment when the Union should start to give even more for its citizens. There is no doubt that the EU comprises the most successful international project, as it has successfully fulfilled its fundamental mission – to ensure peace among all its member states.
Today, the citizens of the EU member states require that the Union shall offer them even more. In the program that you have prepared for your presidency you have correctly identified the challenges the EU is facing today, such as migration, the joint market, security, social inclusiveness and neighborhood and enlargement policies. I hope that together with the other member states of the EU you will find answers to these challenges and will give a new quality to the European Union.
For countries like Kosovo, the strengthening of the EU is the strengthening of the belief that peace and stability will prevail once and for all across the continent of Europe.
The citizens of Kosovo are of one mind regarding the European future of our state. Your leadership, the values and the principles that you promote, strengthen our belief that we have chosen the best way part of which family we will, and that with its chairmanship, Malta will give a new and more dynamic impetus to the implementation of the processes important for the citizens of the Republic of Kosovo on the country’s path towards the EU.
Confident in the success of your chairmanship of the EU Council, I wish you good luck and express our full support in your work.