Surroi: Border correction, dangerous principle for Albanians

Surroi says the border dispute should be halted, as Kosovo has no interest in further talks on the border issue.

Voice of America: Mr. Surroi, in Kosovo, debates have erupted over the final agreement on normalising relations with Serbia, especially after President Hashim Thaci launched the idea of restructuring borders. You have strongly rejected this approach. For what reason?

Veton Surroi: The reason is simple, we are not states that we've known each other and Serbia and Kosovo first have to reach the level of relations in order to talk about other things, but to start talking about the border without fixing issues means to start backwards and open the door for the concept of border correction or corrections on ethnic grounds, which is an extremely dangerous principle for Albanians, hits us in many plans, and is a question which seems to be a solution, but is the introduction to a very difficult and painful process, which will not produce normal solutions in the states but let it be a frozen conflict.

Voice of America: But, President Thaci actually talks not about partitioning Kosovo, but uniting the Presevo Valley with Kosovo. Why should you object?

Veton Surroi: It is naive to speak in that form, meaning the conflict with Serbia is not finished as he is speaking (the president) seems to be Luxembourg and now a peaceful state with which you will now agree on a piece of land here or a piece of land there. The dispute over the exchange of territories is completely wrong is the approach that starts with the tail and the tail does not solve the issues.

Voice of America: The United States, they recently said they seek out of both sides <x0) creative and flexible resolution”. What does this attitude signal? Are we dealing with a new approach of the international community to relations between Kosovo and Serbia?

Veton Surroi: They need to ask what they think is flexible and creative, but what Kosovo needs is a permanent peace agreement, it is a sustainable solution with Serbia, and if creativity, flexibility and others should then be invested. But the fundamental principle is that Kosovo and Serbia must reach a lasting peace agreement and look with creativity and flexibility on how, two independent states will create a space of co-operation within a European context.

Voice of America: In your opinion, what can be the outcome of these debates, Mr. Surroi?

Veton Surroi: This debate cannot work its way, this debate must be halted. Kosovo has no interest in moving forward in talks on the border issue. The real issue Kosovo needs is to enter into a serious negotiation process, with serious mediators and introducing its own ideas rather than dealing with futile issues which now bring harm. For example, the issue of debate on exchange of territories, on the possibility of including the Presevo Valley, is a direct blow to state, national and other interests of Western civilisation for Macedonia to integrate into NATO. In order for Macedonia to integrate into NATO, a positive referendum is needed in September, and to get the positive referendum requires a general vote of all citizens, but in particular of Albanians. If Albanians swing and think, not now will start correcting the borders, then it will likely not win this referendum, and then it is likely that Macedonia will not enter NATO. The interest of Albanians in the Balkans is for Macedonia to be a part of NATO, of course, is also the interest of the citizens of Macedonia and thus to curb Russia's strategic insight, which we know has no good intentions for this country.

Voice of America: In Kosovo, there are thoughts that ideas are actually a preparation of opinion for what awaits the country after the inclusion of Serb majority municipalities. What would this association look like at the end of the process in your opinion?

Veton Surroi: We would not have to deal with it at all because the association/counition of Serbian municipalities, as Mr. Thaci put it into concept, has been rejected by the Constitutional Court, and Kosovo cannot tolerate any other level of power except the municipal and central plains. It is a waste of time to try to include solutions within Kosovo's territory without having a peace agreement with Serbia, without an agreement on equality between Kosovo and Serbia, and equal Serbia can sit on the negotiating table, then look for possible solutions for potential real problems, but the Serb municipality is a territorial political autonomy, it is not good for Kosovo to integrate within Kosovo's constitutional system, and whoever wants to pull it out of the small door, it will exit the big door.

Voice of America: Mr. Surroi, despite open debates, normalising relations with Serbia is necessary, and will have to pass through negotiations and dialogue. What needs to be changed in this process for Kosovo to avoid possible consequences for its citizenship?

Veton Surroi: It takes a serious negotiation process, what we've had so far has been a weak improvised with bad results, poor results, in the best case with results which have not created a normalisation process, is not called normalisation of the current situation with relations between Kosovo and Serbia. So, therefore, a negotiating process should be established, that negotiation process should be on serious grounds, and the beginning of that negotiation process is that the two states do not start to talk about borders, but accept the demarcation what it is and on these grounds, the basis of the reality of a Kosovo that has declared independence, we cannot enter into the process, in the trap in which it is now created, which would renegotiate the Kosovo status issue. Kosovo's status has ended, it is not at the negotiating table, what should be on the negotiating table is the nature of relations between two independent Kosovo and Serbia so that we can help each other, have as good relations as possible within a European context, and there to find its own creative, flexible and other solutions.