Halil Matosh, a Russian influence-obsesseder: We are not immune to resist their attacks.

Kosovo Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj has stressed on Thursday that there is an agenda of Russia and trends for Kosovo's involvement in the processes, which would remove the country, as he has said, “outside the” track.

Haradinaj has said that in indirect forms, Russia invests money in the idea of presenting Kosovo “to a status quo reggressive”.

Halil Matosi, adviser to Prime Minister Haradinaj, speaking of Radio Free Europe, stresses that, according to various data and analysis, it turns out Russia's policy continues to try to undermine the integration processes of the countries of the region in NATO and the EU through presence in these countries, including Russia's Office in Kosovo.

“According to many different data and analysis, it turns out that in Montenegro, Macedonia, Albania, but also the Russian Office in Kosovo, they are committed to extend this influence through the creation of obstacles to these NATO-related states, respectively, with the European Union. For this, there is a base called Éhumanitarian, which, according to the US State Department, is not a humanitarian centre in Nis (Serbia), but is a Russian spying centre”, Matosaj points out.

He adds that the data exists that Russian embassies spend from 10m euros a year, and according to him, it is spending to exert influence on regional politics and media.

Matoshi points out that even Kosovo, being an organic part of the Western Balkans, is not immune to these Russian trends. According to him, Serbia is receiving unreserved support from Russia, to deny Kosovo's independence and destabilise the region.

Matoshi elaborates what Prime Minister Haradinaj has said, but, however, does not provide much concrete details about the Russian influence in Kosovo.

“We note movements and ideas, which unfold in one part of the media, would be called non-recilable, where the army is extolled, respectively Russian doctrines and we note the intensity of creating conditions for destabilising the region. We have had the last case in Montenegro, where people from Serbia, who under Russian influence, have wanted to carry out the assassinations at President Djukanovic and then exercise political and military stick in this state. These make us think that Kosovo cannot make an exception from this tendency to extend influence”, Matoshi says.

Meanwhile, Lisen Bashkurti, former representative of Albania at the United Nations and currently president of the Albanian Diplomatic Academy, in a conversation with Radio Free Europe, says Russian presence and influence on countries in the region, including Kosovo, should be seen at three levels.

According to him, the presence and Russian influence have been, is and will remain an important element of Russian geopoliticals, which connects with Russian President Vladimir Putin's strategy, which has been restored to the traditional old Russian geopolitical doctrine, but, as he says, in many aspects of Stalin's strategy.

For more, says Bashkurti, the characteristics of the Western Balkans region, the stage of its transition, the visible elements of the misgovernance of many countries in the region, and the recurring cyclical crises, such as corruption at high levels, organised crime, money laundering and other phenomena that provoke instability, are all elements that open the doors of opportunities to increase Russian presence and influence in the region.

The third level, according to him, specifically connects with Kosovo and its relations with Serbia. According to Bashkurti, it should be taken into account that Serbia continues to have two-rectored foreign policy, so Euro-Russian.

“As long as Serbia continues to be a protracted hand of Russian geopoliticalism, bivector policy, in two directions, Euro-Russian, political, diplomatic and strategic co-operation with Russia and as long as Serbia's presence and influence in Kosovo continues to be visible and dangerous, I think even if the presence and Russian influence are not direct in Kosovo, indirectly, through Serbian presence and influence, what will certainly affect”, Bari points out.

He adds that on the plains of ideas, the presence of Russian policies, strategies and tactics is evident.

For example, the topic for the rerun of Kosovo's status in international discussion, the topic to review borders through changes, corrections, corrections, shifts, is also a popular Russian thesis. Tactical to create frozen areas or crises in sensitive regions such as Central Asia, or like the western part of Russia or like the Western Balkan countries, is also evident to use and abuse ethnic minorities, such as the valve to provoke neighbouring countries and keep them under constant pressure, is also Russian-born. So many elements related to Russia's foreign policy strategy, but even to the practices it uses to implement this strategy, are also noted in the political reality of Kosovo”, Bashkurti estimates.

Russia's efforts to expand its influence in Kosovo, though to a small extent compared with the powerful Western countries, are also in the area of the economy. According to Kosovo authorities, extending Russian influence in this respect comes mainly through Serbia.

Although data has not been updated at the Kosovo Central Bank, 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.