It has been inaugurated the RYCO local office in Kosovo

In the premises of the Student Center of the University of Prishtina "Hasan Prishtina", at a ceremony organized today, the Local Office in Kosovo of the Regional Youth Coopration Office was opened, which was attended by Deputy Prime Minister Enver Hoxhaj, Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports, Kujtim Gashi, ambassadors of diplomatic missions in Kosovo and representatives of local and international organizations from civil society.

The role of this office is aimed at regional cooperation in the Western Balkans and strengthening the Berlin process, peaceful and democratic cooperation in the region. With its exchange programs, RYCO aims to improve mutual understanding between cultural differences and to develop mutual respect, as well as the mutual responsibility for the region and Europe among the youth of the Western Balkans.

Deputy Prime Minister Enver Hoxhaj, on behalf of the Government of Kosovo, expressed the Government's full support for this office, which aims to increase cooperation and exchange of experiences among young people in the Balkan region, pledging that this initiative, with the support even the Government, will be successful.

"I am delighted that in cooperation with our partners, as a result of the Berlin process, RYCO was established and I would like to make a pledge that the local office in Pristina as well as the head office in Tirana will have the full support of the Government and it is a also a special honor that the Minister Gashi has a special attention to this office",said Hoxhaj.

Meanwhile, Minister Gashi, who is also a member of the Board of RYCO, said that this is a special event for young people of Kosovo, on the occasion of opening the office in our country.

"The primary purpose of this office is to achieve the reconciliation and friendship of the Balkan peoples through cooperation and youth exchanges between the six Balkan countries. Promoting tolerance, solidarity, mutual trust, social and economic co-operation are some of the topics that this office will aim at, focusing on breaching prejudices "said among other ministries.

“I would take this opportunity to express a special gratitude for their help, to the state of France and Germany and to the French-German Youth Office, for the excellent work they have done from the beginning until conclusion of this process”, said further minister Gashi.



While the Kosovo youth representative at the RYCO Board, Arianit Jashari, said that the biggest problems faced by young people are unemployment and free visa-free travel to the European Union.

"I am proud that our young people are the best representatives of our country. Starting from sports achievements to science, our youth are our best ambassadors. One big problem is the visa liberalization for us as young people, who are not able to move freely, unemployment which prevents us from spreading our knowledge beyond", said Jashari.

The opening ceremony was also attended by German and Austrian ambassadors to Kosovo, who expressed their satisfaction that their countries have participated and assisted in such an important project for young people in the region. While, RYCO Secretary-General Djuro Blanusa, expressed his gratitude to all the actors and partners that made it possible the opening of the local office in Pristina after that in Montenegro, thus expanding the network of RYCO offices in the states of the Western Balkans region.

The Regional Youth Cooperation Office (RYCO), as a regional mechanism, is established by the six Western Balkan governments (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, Macedonia, Serbia and Albania), in full cooperation with civil society. Currently, RYCO is in the official opening phase of the Local Offices in the six Western Balkan countries.