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| Albin Kurti |
On the table in his studio, in the highest building in Pristina, he has a dossier documenting Moscow's 'longa manus' on Belgrade and, therefore, on the Serbs in northern Kosovo. The line of imposing reciprocity of treatment between Serbs and Albanians, starting with the procedures for crossing the border between the two countries, is bearing fruit: in the February elections KurtiÇs party "Vetevendosje!" it took 50.2 percent of the vote, making it the most voted party in the history of independent Kosovo. Success is also justified by the positive economic indicators of the last year: GDP +10.53 per cent, exports +83 percent, and foreign investments +22 percent.
Full interview:
How high is the risk of a new conflict?
"I don't mean very high, also because we have the NATO contingent here, but certainly high. We are a democracy bordering on an autocracy, after all. Before the invasion of Ukraine the possibilities were few, now the situation has changed. First, a consequence of the fascist idea of panslavism that the Kremlin has, was Ukraine. If we have a second episode, for example in Transnistria, then the probabilities that a third war will develop in the Western Balkans, and in Kosovo in particular, will be very high".
What elements do you have to say that Moscow commands Belgrade in the relationship with Kosovo?
"On November 25 last year, Serbian Prime Minister Vucic was in Sochi: it was the nineteenth meeting with Putin in ten years, on average they see each other twice a year. It is not normal for government leaders. On that occasion, Vucic then said : 'We talked about double standards and hypocrisy in international relations. Putin is aware of that. I showed him the North of Kosovo on the map'' ".
That Serbia is in the Russian orbit is nothing new. What has changed?
"In September 2021 with a view to reciprocity I decided to introduce temporary plates for Serbs entering Kosovo, they responded by flying the Mig29s along the border, where the Russian ambassador and the Serbian defense minister rushed. : the Russia-Serbia Humanitarian Center built-in 2012 is just 160 kilometers away from the studio you and I are talking in. And 151 of the 250 members of the Serbian parliament are part of the friendship group with Russia."
From a military point of view, have you noticed any movements that worry you?
"Last year they planned 91 joint military exercises and made 104. The two most important are called the Slavic Shield and the Slavic Brotherhood. Since August 2001, Serbia has set up 48 forward operational bases, 28 military and 20 of the gendarmerie. The Serbian veterans have all become pro-Russian. As if to say: the danger exists and we warn it ".
You have postponed the entry into force of the measures - on Kosovar documents and license plates - that have provoked the protests in the north of Kosovo... Will it change them or keep them the same?
"In the third week of August there will be a meeting in Brussels between us and the Serbs on general aspects of Kosovo-Serbia relations, I hope it will help to reduce the tension".
Judging by the statements of the members of the Serbian List, they will remain against it. Will the reform still come into force?
"Converting the license plates introduced by Milosevic is a decision of my government. They have two months. The same goes for the documents: on Sunday, for the few hours in which it was in force, at the border crossings that remained open they were given 2,679 without incident. That's why they had to call someone for the barricades: the protest did not spontaneously arise from below, it was organized by Belgrade and supported by Russia".
There were hooded men on the street on Sunday. Have you got a better idea?
"The prosecutor is viewing the videos posted on social media. They were people on the payroll of Belgrade, who work in illegal structures in northern Kosovo. Some of them were really criminals since last year they ended up on the blacklist of the United States Department of the Treasury. I refer to Radoicic and Veselinovic. It was deja vu: that method was used by the Serbs already in the early 90s during the breakup of Yugoslavia. But Kosovo is now a democratic country, they can do very little. They are frustrated because our economy, although they do not recognize us as a state, it is flourishing".
Don't you think that joining NATO, your declared goal, could generate other tensions with Serbia?
"The opposite is true. Our partnership with the Peace Program and joining NATO will help maintain lasting peace. Our orientation is transparent. And it is based on Euro-Atlantic values.".