The year 2018 complete failure in foreign policy

The year we left after is estimated to constitute a full regress in foreign policy. Failure to membership in Interpol and other international organisations, not visa liberalisation for Kosovars, and lack of recognition, are some of the failures being addressed to the diplomatic service.

In addition, it is estimated that diplomatic service has been marginalised, even said that Kosovo diplomacy employs party militants and that they have no knowledge of how foreign policy works.

A Direct Charge MPJ is also the silence behind news that the state of Serbia has made year-round for the removal of recognitions from several states.

International Law Professor Africa Hoti says the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is in front of collapse. Furthermore, he says 80 per cent of those in Kosovo's diplomatic service do not recognise even basic foreign policy definitions.

Kosovo's “Diplomacy since its establishment has been built on not the basis of meritocracy, but on the basis of familiarisations, nepotisms, narrow and very pronounced political affiliations, and this has been evident since the moment of foundation. In the last year what has been observed is the fact that a predefined trend has been followed, while the contingent leading the foreign ministry has the impression and they have no idea what foreign policy is. As such, we've had the resulting negative effects. I think we're talking about a governing resort that's in front of collapse and the beginning of collapse, and I think it's a failure to join Interpol, a technical organisation, yet international support, and that really has been a poor step and that marks a drastic decline in our external service”, it has been expressed.

As for news of the removal of recognitions from several states, Hoti says this Serbian state has done it to weaken Kosovo's position and strengthen its position.

The following year in foreign policy, Artan Murati from KDI, who says that 2018, made up one of the worst years in the history of Kosovo diplomacy.

“If we talk about the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the approach of the MPJ to the state-owned processes of Kosovo, the year 2018 is one of the most failed and weaker years of the history of the Government of the Republic of Kosovo, for the fact that apart from failing to join many international organisations where we have been aiming to membership, we have also had the tendency to withdraw recognitions, although officially by the MPJ, we have received only one announcement from one state. However, the issue of attracting recognition from other countries has often been evident and circulated. On the other hand, Kosovo's reports with the European Union this year have been more fragile than the past years, and this has largely affected the lack of visa liberalisation, where a negative climate has been created in front of the EU. However, even putting a 100 per cent tax on Serbian goods on the part of Kosovo appears to have had an impact on EU officials, who we have seen come out and wanted this tax to be removed”, he said.

Kosovo's non-membership in Interpol and lack of recognition for Rasim Alija from D4D pose a complete failure of Kosovo's foreign policy.

“NCO, other failures, the freezing of total recognitions, even the withdrawal of recognitions by some states that have already recognised the Republic of Kosovo, mean in all areas of governance of those who are distracting Kosovo citizens we have negative balance”, Alija has said.

Meanwhile, political analyst Belul Beqaj says Kosovo's foreign policy is reflecting Kosovo's internal policy failures.

The foreign policy reflects the state of the processes and the situation that is within Kosovo, since internal developments have not been in line with expectations and promises that have given not only to the government, but also to those who have collaborated with them. We should not have expected positive spectacular changes, but also disappointments that have taken place not only in the case of Kosovo's non-accession to Interpol, but also in the process of beginning to review recognitions that some states have had against the state of Kosovo. So I think foreign policy is a reflection of domestic policy failures and cannot be considered to be definitely successful”, he said.

Kosovo is recognised by only one state, Barbados. For lack of recognition, a guilt according to Arton Demhaye from the organisation Get up, also has Kosovo President Hashim Thaci's idea of correcting borders with the Serbian state.

You're in a dialogue process and you don't know who the final agreement is and what that deal has to bring is a problem to convince the states to tell us right now with these boundaries that we have, maybe these boundaries can change after a while and then you can review your recognition, so this could be a major problem that can prevent even lobbies until we have already passed a resolution in the Kosovo Framework, at least it was made clear that there would be no movement of borders. .... In such a situation, it is a problem to expect from countries assigned to recognise Kosovo while we are talking about a dialogue process which could potentially move borders”, he has said.

In 2018, Kosovo has not achieved any membership in any important international organisation, nor has its application for membership in the Council of Europe, even though the government has said it is ready since April. It was also promised to obtain candidate status for EU membership at the end of 2018, but there is nothing for that either.