The Finnish chief diplomat meets Osman, but not Kurti and Gërvalla

The Finnish Foreign Minister, Elina Valtonen, who is also the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, has called for the rapid establishment of the institutions. During her visit to Pristina, she met with the president, but not her counterpart or the acting prime minister.

Finland's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Elina Valtonen, who is also the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, has said that the Assembly was not constituted in accordance with the Constitution of Kosovo.

At a press conference in Pristina on Tuesday, she called for the new institutions to be formed as soon as possible.

"I welcome the election of the new Speaker of the Assembly and hope that the process of constituting the Assembly will be carried out in accordance with the Constitution and that we will see a new government soon, with whom we look forward to continuing our cooperation," said Valtonen.

The process of constituting the Assembly has been contested, as Serbian MPs have turned to the Constitutional Court, after lawmakers did not even elect the Deputy Speaker of the Assembly from among the Serbian community.

The Finnish diplomat also called for the implementation of agreements with Serbia and the advancement of dialogue, and assessed that this process has the potential to contribute to security and stability in the region.

"With the appointment of the new special representative for the Pristina-Belgrade dialogue, reaffirming commitments to the dialogue and advancing the implementation of existing agreements are essential for success," she said.

During her stay in Kosovo, the Finnish Minister of Foreign Affairs did not meet with the acting Prime Minister, Albin Kurti, nor her counterpart, Donika Gërvalla. She did not indicate whether she will meet with them outside the Government offices.

"Let me put it this way: We strongly hope that there will be a solution to the impasse in the Assembly and the Government very soon," Valtonen declared.

Valtonen was received by President Vjosa Osmani. After the meeting, Osmani announced that they discussed recent developments in the country, the role that the OSCE has played over the years in Kosovo, as well as its current priorities.

"It is a pleasure to welcome back to Kosovo the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Finland, Elina Valtonen, who is also the current Chairperson of the OSCE. I thanked her for Finland's continued support for Kosovo at every stage, including for the Euro-Atlantic future of our country. Together we discussed the latest developments in the country, the role that the OSCE has played over the years in Kosovo, as well as its current priorities," said Osmani.

Valtonen also met with representatives of civil society. She emphasized that an “active and free civil society is the backbone of a democratic system.”