Kurti Asks Larcher in Paris for EU and NATO Support

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti asked France in Paris to support granting Kosovo candidate status for European Union membership and its entry into NATO. He delivered the message on Monday evening, November 9, at a meeting with French Senate President Gerard Larcher, a day before the start of the Paris Peace Forum.

Today, November 10, the second part of Kurti’s visit follows: the Foreign Affairs Committee of the French National Assembly has scheduled his hearing for 5:30 p.m.

What did Kurti and Larcher discuss?

According to a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office, reported by Turkey’s Anadolu agency, Kurti thanked Larcher for the role France played in Kosovo’s liberation and independence, and for its steady support for the country’s development. The prime minister described the conversation himself:

“We discussed full institutional and political stability after the election of the president, the Government’s plans for this new term, with a focus on railway and sports infrastructure, the construction of dams and the defense industry, as well as concrete possibilities for expanding cooperation and further deepening bilateral relations.”

In other words, Kurti summed up his new government’s program for his Senate host: railways, sports facilities, dams and the defense industry. According to Anadolu, they also discussed reforms in the judiciary, education and public administration, as well as Kosovo’s democratic progress and economic development.

What does Kurti want from France?

Kurti said Kosovo is fully aligned with the EU’s Common Foreign and Security Policy, so granting candidate status and opening accession talks would, in his words, be the right decisions and an incentive for comprehensive progress. He called France’s role in that process significant, as well as on NATO membership, which he said would contribute to lasting peace and long-term security in the Western Balkans and across Europe.

After the meeting he repeated the same message in a post on X. In the translation published by the portal Kosovo Online, he wrote:

“France has been one of Kosovo’s key supporters since the declaration of our independence, and we are deeply grateful for its continued support for our democracy and our path to European Union membership. We also appreciate the recognition of Kosovo’s alignment with the EU’s Common Foreign and Security Policy.”

The same post carried a request about schools: “In this regard, we would welcome a greater presence of the French language in our schools.”

What else is on the visit’s schedule?

The Government of Kosovo described the program in a statement issued before the delegation left for France:

“During the visit and on the sidelines of the Forum, Prime Minister Kurti will hold meetings with leaders, senior officials and representatives of states and institutions, as well as with prominent figures from the fields of education, academia, art and culture.”

The Albanian portal Fiks reports that Kurti also met the Kosovo diaspora in France. The French National Assembly’s website lists the hearing of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Kosovo for Tuesday, November 10, 2026, at 5:30 p.m. What was said at the Senate meeting is known from Kurti’s statements and from his cabinet’s release.