The Economist: A decade after independence, Kosovo still violent

The prestigious magazine “The Economist” has dedicated an article to the state of Kosovo, and the fact that Kosovo is celebrating a decade of state this year since its February 17th 2008 Declaration of Independence.

This article of the “The Economist” begins with the event that tested the state of Kosovo and the rule of law in the country, the murder of SDP leader Oliver Ivanovic.

“Oliver Ivanovic, a Kosovo Serb politician who was killed on January 16th of 2018, being hit with six bullets in his body, this murder was a grim sign for Kosovo, which celebrates 10 years of state since the February 17th Declaration of Independence. The long-standing Serbian minority is afraid of the majority of Kosovo, Albanians. Now, as the leader who was killed before his death said, we should be more afraid of Serbs than of Albanians”, writes in this article.

<x0vanovovic was shot outside his office in the divided town of Mitrovica. After the 1999 war, in which NATO intervened with the Serbian campaign for ethnic cleansing of Albanians, it helped Serbs take over the northern part of Mitrovica, which is inhabited by Albanians. At the time of his death, the trial was under way against him, who accused him of war crimes. Many Serbs think Ivanovic's murder occurred by his political opponents”, writes the “The Economist”.

Kosovo's “Independence parties will be sweet and bitter. The state is facing extreme poverty, where Kosovo and Belarus are the only European countries that have not yet entered under the Schengen area. Many Kosovars think their leaders are involved in organised crime. A Special Court has been set up at The Hague to investigate alleged crimes committed by Kosovo Albanians during the war, but many EU officials say witnesses are afraid to give their testimony”, says in this article, follow news.net.

It is difficult to investigate for war crimes, the same as its heroes. Last year, now the country's prime minister, Ramush Haradinaj, acquitted of war crimes charges by The Hague, had been arrested in France on suspicion of the same charges. The French freed him, but that arrest revived doubts about his career. He is now a Kosovo prime minister. For curiosity, he is also supported by the Serb community in the Kosovo Parliament. Many Kosovars see this as a sufficient proof that politics is less on issues than on collecting spoil from it”, the writing notes.

Fifty thousand Serbs fled Kosovo with the start of the war. More than 120 thousand are reported to have remained, which for many years have been protected by international forces, but the situation is still calmer. Since 2011, Serbs and Kosovars have embarked on a process of dialogue with the recommendations of the European Union”.

The key “is increased co-operation of Albanian mafia with the Serbian community, which began to dominate their political classes. In Mitrovica, those who know important details are afraid to speak. The deal is not to cause <x1 between” is said by various sources. They work together, you said, people know it's better not to talk about this”, it says.

“Marko Djurovic, director of the so-called Serbian Office for Kosovo in Serbia's Government, says Serbia wants to expand talks on various problems, including changing borders. The Serb-inhabited north of Kosovo can join Serbia, while the enclaves inhabited by Albanians in Serbia can join Kosovo. “Should not leave Kosovo a frozen conflict”, Djuric's words quoted.

Serbian “Many who live in the southern part of Kosovo are terrified of this idea. Many clergymen say that changes and divisions always occur in violent ways”.

In fact, the likelihood of an exchange of territories is slim. If Kosovo's borders were changed, the same fate would follow the borders of Bosnia and Macedonia as well. And that meant war. From various sources it is said that this exchange was proposed by Serbia's President Aleksandar Vuciq, meanwhile, the Kosovo side has not been interested. Americans and Germans said no to this idea, because of Bosnia and Macedonia, the issue closes” concluded in this article.