Border correction is Serbia's game, not Thaci's idea

Kosovo Parliament Speaker Kadri Veselini in an interview for Deutsche Welle has talked about visa liberalisation, idea of changing borders, Army and relations with Serbia

DW: Mr. Wessel, Germany, along with France and Spain, is one of three major countries blocking visa liberalisation.

Kadri Wessel: I'm happy to say Germany won't be (against). I'm talking as far as I understand from the meetings. I firmly believe in Germany's decision to liberalise visas. That's said to me very directly. True, we have some challenges with some European Union countries, but we hope that with the support of a friendly state like Germany, but also those countries, such as France, we will achieve that our citizens, after ten years, will move like citizens of all Western Balkan countries.

The European Integration Minister said the cause of these countries' reluctance is migration. How would you comment?

Kosovo has an economic growth, which, if compared with the Western Balkan countries, is very satisfactory. Kosovo has a probably better living standard than a large part of Western Balkan countries, more modern infrastructure, regulated public sector status, with private property, with respected entrepreneurship, a development which no one has expected in these ten years. Kosovo has its challenges to strengthen the legal state and the economy, but the risk of migration from Kosovo is peaceful, for itself, to the fact that we are 1.7 million people. We're thinking about how we're going to get our people back to Kosovo, we're short of the workforce in the agriculture sector, in the construction sector. Now even in the health sector, they're taking over. We're working on them not getting away from us and staying. On the contrary, the risk of a migration from Kosovo is peaceful.

One topic is President Thaci's proposal for changing borders. You personally have expressed opposition. What are you doing to unify Kosovo's political position on this issue?

I must correct you: Trade of borders is an ongoing topic of Serbia and Russia. It's not President Thaci's. We are dealing with a game that Serbia is trying to play across borders, but Kosovo should not accept any precedent from its case for any other conflict. Kosovo is an independent and sovereign state. Kosovo will maintain its territorial integrity, its institutional sovereignty as well, not the association of Serb municipalities with executive competence . But an association of Serb municipalities, which better integrate Serbs, citizens of the Republic of Kosovo, into our institutions, in our independent and sovereign state. Kosovo is ultimately a state of all citizens. There is currently no state that gives more rights to communities than Kosovo. So, I'm not even using the word minority, because under the Kosovo constitution there are no minorities.

Then please explain why the impression has been created that President Thaci is not yet willing to give up this proposal?

There's a little bit more of an ego by which perhaps the opposition tries to expand its power over voters. A tactic that is damaging Kosovo. Kosovo needs unity, for common platforms, where the territory's vulnerability is not questioned and at the same time affecting institutional sovereignty. Remember, more dangerous than any other option is the paralysis of the state of Kosovo. The opposition must join a platform we want to build together. We don't own any over our own country, we have a duty to citizens, to the state, and we have obligations to international partners, who are investing a lot, like Germany to us.

Kosovo Army

One of these partners is NATO. What role will it play in the establishment of the Kosovo Army?

The Role NATO is the role of a global security. We are the real product of a NATO contribution. Let's be contributing now, no more consumer, like 20 years ago. Be a contributor to the suffering countries. We will have the Kosovo Army, inevitable. We are an independent sovereign state, but these manipulations of Serbia trying to create a fear with the supposed militarism of Kosovo are peace. We will work with our partners: Bundeswehr, American Army, English, French, Italian, will be part of the partnership. Together we will be, with NATO countries.

What about the Serbs?

Serbs anyway. This is my message to my colleagues in Serbia. Do not put pressure on Serbian citizens in Kosovo who are violently removing them from the Kosovo Security Force, from the next Kosovo Army. They are dignified soldiers of its state to protect universal values and protect our way of life from any radicalism.

How do you see the solution to Kosovo's problem or neighbouring Serbia?

Just as you posed the question: In the good neighbourhood between the independent and sovereign states of Kosovo and Serbia. This too is inevitable. It is in Serbia's own interest to find a solution to move forward in economic prosperity and travel towards the European Union as far as our interest, normalising reports with Serbia on our Euro-Atlantic journey. We do not have claims against Serbia, but Serbia must forget forever to have Kosovo under its own wing. This is over on June 12, 1999.