Tahiri calls border correction a dangerous idea with Serbia

Edita Tahiri calls the idea of changing dangerous and combating borders.

You can read the complete statement below:

ADK Chairman Edita Tahiri, once former Minister for Dialogue and Cross negotiator in the Brussels Dialogue, has come up against dangerous ideas about changing borders, immediately as these ideas appeared openly in public, making it clear that such ideas are against the national interests and against the state of Kosovo and lead to corruption and new wars in the region.

The ADK considers that only the Kosovo Parliament has the power to halt these dangerous and combative ideas, and we are very concerned that the Kosovo Assembly is being delayed to adopt the resolution against changing borders, with which the main red line is defined for the Kosovo Republic delegation for the final phase of Dialogue with Serbia. MPs from the Kosovo Parliament have sworn in since they received the mandate to protect the state and the constitution of the Republic of Kosovo, so they have historic responsibilities to say no to changing borders. The Games or traps on which resolution must be adopted first, that for the delegation in the final talks or resolution against changing borders, have held national and state interests hostage. These only show a deep political and strategic infertility, because it is known that the state and borders must first be protected, while delegation d or have clear authorisations to respect red lines, respectively, the Constitution of the Republic of Kosovo.

The Republic of Kosovo as an independent and sovereign state was born after a hundred years of fighting of the Albanian people and the most basic sacrifices of numerous generations for freedom and independence. The peaceful resistance led by the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) for a decade and armed resistance led by the Kosovo Liberation Army (UÇK) for two years have made extraordinary contributions to the liberation and independence of Kosovo by Serb invaders. But the merits of Kosovo's independence and freedom belong to all generations and resistance throughout the single century, all those who contributed, and those who were killed, tortured and expelled to the extent of genocide on the part of Serbia. The merits also belong to our allies, the US, NATO and the EU, who supported our fair fight for freedom and independence. So the current generation in the first place has the obligation to strengthen the state of Kosovo, bring citizens to me and defend the boundaries of our state.

Dangerous ideas for touching Kosovo's borders are the hegemonistic idea of Serbia, which claims to achieve its goals of creating “Great Serbia” at the expense of Kosovo and Albanian lands. Kosovo's north and Presevo Valley are Albanian lands, they cannot be exchanged. Historically, Albanian lands have contracted, such a thing cannot happen and will not happen because this does not allow the Albanian people, but neither does the shed blood, which is still as fresh as the wounds of war and the loss of people and the found.

Trepca is now considered the richest mine in Europe, Weiman is a source of inexhaustible water, strategic combat points in the mountains of Koganik, these assets constitute the geopolitical power of the state of Kosovo. To them Serbia has constantly kept its eyes unscathed, has exploited nearly a uproot until we expelled it in 1999. Now, once and for all, we have to pave the way for Serbia's sick hegemonist claims, setting kuchee lines for not changing borders in the finals of Brussels' dialogue.

Beyond Serbia's hegemonistic claims lies the Russian geopolitical agenda in the Balkans. The very fact that Russia has established a military centre in Serbia's Nis, near the border with Kosovo, and its ongoing interventions towards the new Balkan states, including Kosovo, which have clear Western geostrategic orientations, speaks of the high degree of risk the idea of changing borders between Kosovo and Serbia.

Therefore, we must be strategists for our state Kosovo, to defend the victory of our war against Serbia in 1999, supported by American and Western allies. Ideas of changing borders are Serbian ideas, and could lead to undoing our historic victory against Serb invaders

Brussels' dialogue for seven years enabled the return of the northern part under Kosovo's state sovereignty, enabled the deterioration of Serb parallel structures in state areas -- to the police, the courts, customs -- to set up the interstate border with Serbia at the northern border points, Jarinje and Brnjak -- which were burned by Serbia after Kosovo's 2008 declaration of independence, Kosovo's pre-militarial structure of the so-called “civil regime” and many other structures that violated Kosovo sovereignty.

Now is the time for mutual recognition between the two states, Kosovo and Serbia. However, mutual recognition must be made on the principle of good neighbourlyity among states as a key criterion for membership of states in the EU, rather than damaging Kosovo's territorial integrity and touching its borders. For this approach, the main obligation falls on the European Union, which has defined the principles of membership of six Western Balkan states in the European Union as a peaceful project to create a lasting peace in the region and not resort to wars and new tragedies.

We are convinced that the main Euro-Atlantic countries, the US, the EU, Germany, the UK, France and others will continue to support the will of the people for Kosovo's Euro-Atlantic state on its existing borders based on the Constitution of the Republic of Kosovo and the International Court for Justice decision, which confirmed that Kosovo's declaration of independence is in accordance with international law in 2010. They already bear in mind that the dangerous idea of border change has been fully rejected by the entire political, institutional, civil society, as well as by politicians who are leaders and founders of the state of Kosovo. They also take into account objections from Albania and all the Albanian nation in the country and the diaspora, as well as representatives of the Presevo Valley who have been declared clear for joining Kosovo since 1992, but not by exchanging for Kosovo's north, because both are Albanian lands.

Taking into account all that was highlighted above, the Democratic Alternative of Kosovo and its Chairman, Edita Tahiri, invite Kosovo's decision to issue a resolution against changing borders, as a red line in the Brussels dialogue, which has the power of official opposition, suggesting the international factor for Kosovo's official position, and to calm the population that is going through alarming concerns.