Albin Kurti (Albanian: ['albin 'kuɾti]; born 24 March 1975) is a Kosovar politician who has been serving as Prime Minister of Kosovo since 2021, having previously held the office from February to June 2020.

Kurti then worked in Adem Demaçi's office when the latter became the political representative of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA).

The occupation had started in 1991 and had led to ethnic Albanian academic staff and students having to use alternative locations for their classes due to them being barred from using university premises by Serbian law.

In July 1998, Kurti collaborated as assistant of the political representative Adem Demaçi, close to the UÇK group.

[6] Kurti was released in December 2001 by Yugoslavia's post-Milošević government after being pardoned by President Vojislav Koštunica[7] amid international pressure.

He organised non-violent protests in support of the families of those whose relatives disappeared in the war, and in favor of Kosovo's self-determination.

He was an activist for the Action for Kosovo Network (AKN), which was formed in 1997, and was a movement whose mission focused on human rights and social justice, education, culture and art.

[citation needed] On 12 June 2005 AKN activists wrote the slogan "No negotiations, Self-Determination" on the walls of UNMIK buildings.

Albin Kurti was the candidate for prime minister, though Vetëvendosje only scored 12.69% and won 14 out of 120 seats in the assembly, becoming the third political force in the country.

[14] Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj resigned in July 2019, taking Kosovo to early elections in October 2019.

Kurti visited Durrës on Friday to survey the damage and stressed the importance for institutional cooperation between both Kosovo and Albania.

[15][16] On 18 March 2020, Kurti sacked Interior Minister Agim Veliu (LDK) due to his support for declaring a state of emergency to handle the coronavirus pandemic, which would have given power to the Kosovo Security Council chaired by Hashim Thaçi (PDK).

[17][18][19] The Kurti cabinet continued as a caretaker government,[20][21] until 3 June 2020, when Avdullah Hoti was elected as the next Prime Minister.

One of the first decisions by Kurti and his cabinet was to repeal the unpopular pay raise awarded to ministers by the preceding Haradinaj government and return salaries to their previous amount.

[26] As part of his government's policy platform, Kurti seeks to introduce a three-month period of military conscription service in Kosovo, viewing it important to the country's defence.

After the victory in the elections, the Kurti government brought the file on Vetting and justice reform to the Assembly of Kosovo on 4 September 2022.

Whereas if a family has 3 children or more, they will benefit from 30 euro for each child[51][52] Kurti has stated that they have made progress in the fight against organized crime during his first two years in power, from 2021 to 2023.

According to the figures published by the government, Kosovo Police have arrested over 3800 people for serious criminal offences, including over 300 public officials.

The U.S. government approved a potential sale of hundreds of Javelin anti-tank missiles to Kosovo for an estimated cost of $75 million.

On 27 November 2024, Prime Minister Kurti signed the decision to initiate procedures for the establishment of the defense industry of the Republic of Kosovo.

Later, on 16 December 2024, Kurti announced that he had signed an agreement with the state-owned Turkish defense industry producer MKEK for the operation of a factory in Kosovo for the production of ammunition and unmanned aerial vehicles.

Kurti had estimated that Serbia was the largest regional producer and opening borders for their goods would harm the economy of Albania and Kosovo.

[61] In June 2023, Rama announced that his country had withdrawn from this initiative because "Open Balkan" had fulfilled its mission and that it was time to focus on the processes for integration into the European Union.

[63] Albin Kurti is a strong supporter of direct-democracy and he has often criticized the Constitution of Kosovo for not allowing direct referendums.

In a rally with Vetëvendosje supporters in 2018, Kurti stated that "We want to have the right of Kosovo to join Albania, but we would not start the third Balkan war for this goal.

[68][69] The government of Kosovo has requested that the United States turn Camp Bondsteel, where KFOR troops are stationed, into a permanent American base.

[66] During his second term as prime minister in 2023, Kurti participated in a series of talks mediated by the European Union with Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, leading to the Ohrid Agreement.

An agreement between the United States and Kosovo allowed the U.S. to temporarily shelter a limited number of Afghan citizens whose applications (for visas in the US) required additional processing.

[87][88] The Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, has visited the state of Greece several times, where he has also participated in various forums.

The highest official of the Democratic Union for Integration, Bujar Osmani, accused Kurti of interfering in the elections with his actions, but according to him, these interventions will not have an impact on Albanian voters.