Albin Kurti proposes the Balkan alliance against Serbia: It is the Balkans' main problem

Kurti has also talked about political reports among the Balkan countries, proposing that Balkan states make an alliance against Serbia. He has estimated Serbia is the main blame for the impasses in the development of the Balkans.

According to him, Bosniaks, Albanians, Montenegrins, Macedonians and Croats should be made to solve the problem with Serbia, Periscopi writes.

“I think it is possible and there is a need, as I say, for a Balkan alliance between Bosniaks, Albanians, why not even Montenegrins, Macedonians and Croats, since not only in the 20th century, but also in the XXI century Serbia is the main Balkan problem”, Kurti said.

Total interview:

JournalDear viewers, with us is Mr. Albin Kurti, chairman of Movement V. I'm sorry. Good evening and welcome!

Kurti: Good evening.

Journal: The political atmosphere in the region is looking kind of hot/free. In recent days, we have renewed tensions between Croatia and Serbia, between Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. While the crisis between Kosovo and Serbia is almost daily. Is this somehow the tactic of political leaders in the region? Until when?

Kurti: On the one hand, I think you're right, in the sense that autocrats in the region are helping themselves, creating political tensions, that people cannot focus on socioeconomic development and how to get rid of this social misery and lack of development. On the other hand, I think the main problem of the Western Balkans is Serbia. Serbia is imitating Russia as a small octopus with its tentacles throughout the region. In Bosnia, it has Republika Srpska, in Montenegro, its parties, which do not recognise Montenegro's independence and its entry into NATO. In Kosovo, it has its parallel structures and control in its northern part, while having the opposition in Macedonia in its fist. Like the Russian Federation, which has its own tentacles as satellite paraphernalia in its neighboring countries, from Belarus and Donbas, and throughout southern Ossetia and Abkazi.

I think they (Serbia) are trying to impose as the region's main stabilizer by having the largest destabilising power. We know all these actions that are very transparent. But we have to work hard, to clarify this also to international factors, but also for mutual co-ordination between us, not to allow Serbia to create, for example, a small Serb republic that it wants not only in northern Kosovo.

I think it is possible and there is a need, as it were, for a Balkan alliance between Bosniaks, Albanians, why not even Montenegrins, Macedonians and Croats, since not only in the 20th century, but also in the 20th century, Serbia is the main Balkan problem.

Journal: Finally, the arrest of Marko Djuric in Mitrovica has caused more intense tensions between Pristina and Belgrade. In your opinion, Mr. Kurti, who is responsible for this? Official Belgrade, official Pristina or both?

Kurti: Pristina's responsibility is that this arrest has taken place ten years late. Marko Djurdi has entered Kosovo whenever he wanted, but our government finally decided to arrest him. But he was imprisoned only because he had no permission to enter Kosovo, while the problem coincides with that he actually violated the integrity and territorial sovereignty of our state. But, he has been held in custody only five minutes at the police station and has been deported to Serbia, without the pronunciation of any judicial sentence. But I also think that the Government of Kosovo has made a show of this, to look a little more patriotic, just when it is making concessions to Vuciqi, instead of exercising power for the good of the state and for the rule of law.

Journal: Before Djuric's arrest, the atmosphere was greatly strained by the murder of Oliver Ivanovic. Is there any warning if the perpetrators of this work will be discovered?

Kurti: More than three months have passed and no one has yet been charged. For the first time in the very long history of Albanian-Serbian relations, no Serb is blaming Albanians for the murder of a Serb politician in Kosovo. Clearly, he was an enemy of Vucciki. I think Oliver Ivanovi was also a war criminal. He had been sentenced to nine years in prison for this reason on the part of international Eulex judges in Kosovo. However, he has been a criminal who was likely repentant of his exploits and probably agreed to become a witness to Serb crimes committed in Kosovo during the war period. That's what bothers the Vuchy. It is really surprising how no one has been arrested so far, when it is known that northern Mitrovica is more controlled by Serbia than even Belgrade itself. There's cameras everywhere, but it's like nobody's seen anything and nothing's been shot. This was a professional murder, not because of the anger of any individual. The murder was committed by a cold - blooded, deliberate organization. I think this organisation is the parallel structures in Kosovo, which are financed from the budget of the Republic of Serbia and received orders from Belgrade.

Journal: With all these bad relations, Kosovo Serbs are part of the majority that has formed the government headed by Ramush Haradinaj. What does this really say?

Kurti: They're neither inside the government nor outside it. At the moment we have a minority government in Kosovo, which has only 52 deputies out of a total of 120. The Serb minority in Kosovo, representing approximately 6% of Kosovo's population, does not have its own political party, since the Serb List in Kosovo is the party formed by Belgrade. This party is more Belgrade's political embassy in Kosovo than the political party representing Kosovo Serbs. For this reason, I think the Government of Kosovo was not supposed to be so dependent on the Serbian List. I don't think this government will have life expectancy. We have expected that Mr Haradinaj would be different, but since he has sat on the prime minister's armchair, he continues with concessions to Serbia and with neoliberal privatisations, just as Mustafa, Thaci and other predecessors did.

Journal: Will this government come down and have new elections?

Kurti: The paradox is that this government cannot fall because it has already fallen. It doesn't even have the simple majority. On the other hand, it is difficult to make our majority opposition that would trigger new choices. However, they are heading this way.

Journal: Serbia has been warning for months of final resolution of the Kosovo issue. What do you expect Belgrade will accept, and in this context, what would be the appropriate solution for both sides?

Kurti: Belgrade is rushing as soon as it makes the solution for Kosovo because Kosovo President Thaci is very weak, since he fears the Special Court too. Meanwhile, Vuciqi, on the other hand, wants to experience this solution before Kosovo forms its military. On the occasion of his visit to Kosovo, US State Department senior official Es Mitchell said Kosovo should have its own army. So Vuchy is quick to make that solution before the military is formed. The third reason he is rushing into line with the fact that Serbia could not enter the European Union without recognition of Kosovo's independence and that it wants to have a middle solution, a compromise solution, with which Vuciqi would go to Brussels where it meant Serbia could move towards membership in the European Union without recognition of Kosovo. I think we will not allow that, because the people of Kosovo, the opposition in Kosovo, despite our president's willingness to make concessions. Vuciq, we will not allow this to happen, since we have Bosnian experience and we cannot allow it to be repeated with Kosovo, to become a failed state where survival is treated as success.

Journalist: Mr. Kurti, how do you assess the relationship between Kosovo and Bosnia and Herzegovina?

Kurti: My wish is for Pristina and Sarajevo to co-operate as much as possible. I think during the former Yugoslavia, we Albanians suffered more than you in peace, but you suffered more than we did during the war. Albanians and Bosniaks are the two peoples who have suffered the most. We also have no problems with Sarajevo, as if neither Sarajevo has problems with Pristina, but Pristina and Sarajevo have problems with Belgrade. I am aware that Bosnia and Herzegovina does not recognise Kosovo's independence because of Republika Srpska, which is abusing its veto. Therefore, the problem about recognising Kosovo's independence is also the problem of Bosnia and Herzegovina as such. However, we must find different solutions, co-ordinated as much as possible in the Sarajevo-Pristina reply, but also Tirana. Because I think we are facing similar problems and despite Republika Srpska's veto, we must provide other channels to co-operate as much, both in the political and economic sense.

Journal" Yes, economically anyway. Mr. Kurti, thank you for sharing the time to be our guest.

Kurti: Thank you for this opportunity.