Russia remains poor investor in Kosovo

Even investments, although in a small percentage compared with powerful Western countries, are one of these efforts.

But, according to officials in Pristina, extending influence from Russia remains small and mainly comes through Serbia.

Russian state investments in Kosovo, according to Kosovo Central Bank data, are negligible if compared to other countries in Europe and the world.

Currently, no recent data update has been made, but according to 2016 figures, Russian investments in Kosovo have been around 2m euros. The value of importing Russian products to Kosovo last year, according to official data, has been around 7m euros, with 15 million pounds of products. While the export of Kosovo products to the state of Russia is in minimal value.

Adriatic Stavileci, spokesman in Kosovo Customs, tells Radio Free Europe that not all Russian-born products come to Kosovo directly from the state of Russia.

“What was imported from Russia? Actually, it is the lymerine that has 20 percent participation in general import, then the zdrukth plate, such as Vodka, from Russia”.

The majority of companies in global trade have warehouses in different European countries and the world, and goods are not always purchased by the manufacturer, but are provided by distributors in Europe. But the origin of that commodity is from Russia”, Stavileci says.

On the other hand, Kosovo Government officials say that in terms of economic aspect, Russia's investments in Kosovo are negligible, while for investments in Kosovo's northern municipalities, inhabited by Serb majority, there is no transparency and no evidence.

Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister in the Government of Kosovo Anton Berisha tells Radio Free Europe that Russia has not been aiming in Kosovo to exert influence in an economic way, but through other methods, especially in the majority Serb municipalities in northern Kosovo, has proved to be present through humanitarian activities.

“Russia has shown itself with other methods of concern rather than economically, because they appreciate in which areas and how it should be operated, but here it has been played more with the motion initiative of so-called McCorthodoxism and strategic military interests”, Berisha points out.

In the northern Kosovo municipalities, inhabited by the Serb majority population, at least two organisations -- which are registered in Belgrade -- are engaged in empowering co-operation with Russia.

Trade and Industry Ministry officials in the Government of Kosovo have earlier said that in the northern part, three oil derivative companies operate, but have not provided information on where they are supplied.

One of them is the Russian-owned company “Nis Petrol”. The operation of this company in northern Kosovo is estimated to constitute violations of Kosovo's embargo on the Russian Federation. As this company is on the list of Kosovo banned companies.

The Kosovo government in 2014 had imposed sanctions on the Russian Federation. A number of companies and persons specifically banned from business in Kosovo were listed in the Kosovo Government's decision.

The approach of Kosovo institutions in the northern part remains limited due to the incomplete failure of parallel structures there and the proximity these municipalities have with Serbia, which continues to exercise influence and control in that part.

On the other hand, the Kosovar Centre for Security Studies (QKSS), at the end of last year, has published a research that talks about the “Russia's intervention in Kosovo”,

Research finds that Kosovo is exposed to a broad campaign the increasing influence of Russian intervention against the Western state-building model and its democratic values, especially since 2008. (REL)