Kurti ) Turkish media: Islamic Shamia should not be a problem for governments

Kurti, who paid a visit to Turkey with a delegation last week, praised Turkey's relations with Kosovo, Kosovo's EU and NATO membership, as well as recent developments in Kosovo.

He said Turkey in 1999 during Kosovo war by mobilizing NATO has played a major role in ending the war, which is very valuable to the Kosovo people.

“during our visit, my impression that it is one of the meetings I have made was that Turkish politicians are following political developments in Kosovo and that they are very informed about this issue. We also noted that Vetevendosje is also closely followed. In the talks we also conducted, we agreed to develop our bilateral relations”, he said, indicating that during his visit to Turkey he has met with officials from the government, but also names from opposition parties.

Speaking of economic developments between the two countries, he said Turkey, after Germany and England, is the third consecutive country to invest mostly in Kosovo, but that they need more investment.

I am convinced that more investments are needed. There is serious unemployment in Kosovo. Many of our people are unemployed. Even so, we have extremely intelligent and wise youths. In Kosovo, only one of every eight women works. More than half of our young people are out of work. I think Turkey should focus on sectors that will eliminate unemployment. Investments that will bring down unemployment figures in Kosovo will enable employment for our youth”, he said.

Speaking of the tax, which Kosovo has imposed on Serbian goods, Kurti said that “has become a tax workshop 100 per cent, which the Kosovo government imposed on Serbian goods. As a result of this, Turkey, Israel and Slovenia were the states that mostly benefited from this” tax.

Kurti said his subject in Turkey is recognised as movement more than party. He also said Turkey helps Kosovo.

“After me in the Government of Kosovo whoever is Turkey will continue its support. We want to create and continue relations with Turkey even if we are in power, even the opposition. During our visit from Turkey, we requested that it not develop politics only for Albania, and for Kosovo, in its policy towards the Balkans, but to define a common policy towards both countries. If it comes to a common policy, Kosovo will benefit greatly from investments. We need as Kosovars Turkish businessmen and Albanian origin in Turkey to come to Kosovo and make more investments”, Kurti said further.

“For Albanian history we will finance osmanologists”

According to Kurti, about 5 million Albanians live in Turkey, while if Albanians in the diaspora come to power again will give passports and issue laws necessary to become citizens.

Kurti said he would remove any kind of obstacle which makes it difficult for Albanians to have dual citizenship.

There are bureaucratic obstacles derived from the state. We are from removing all legal barriers. Also in Turkey, we have many Kosovo students conducting their studies. We will enable them to practice in Kosovo”, Kurti said.

He also spoke about documents about Albanian history found in archives in Turkey.

We will enable the opening of archives concerning Albanian history and civilisation found in Turkey. We'll be able to finance Ottomans and historians doing research on this matter. We believe that if these archives open, Albanians will strengthen arguments against Serbs. A friend of mine, university professor, had told me that a fifth of the archives regarding Albania's history in Turkey are known”, Kurti said.

It is said that in the census that the Ottoman Empire did in 1908, even the number of dog hairs was recorded. Therefore, after we open these archives, it will come to light that a series of claims Serbia makes to Kosovo and Albania are mythologyic lies and that they are not true. Just as independence and sovereignty are important to us, we must also make decolonisation”, he added.

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Kurti stressed that they will end, as he said, mismanagement and corruption with coming to the government and added that the people of Kosovo also support them in this direction. According to him, Kosovo is experiencing a political and economic crisis.

There is corruption in state institutions. If we come to power, our first responsibility will be to fight corruption. We have a lot of work to do. We are aware and responsible for this. We must again ensure that the people of Kosovo have confidence in state institutions. At the same time, we must bring in investments from abroad for the revival of the economy. We also focus on increasing the number of small, medium, and large companies. We will not allow nepotism. During employment, whether in the state bureaucracy or in public companies, we will receive the merits of”, says Kurti.

“On the other hand, the Kosovo diaspora brings to the country half the possibility of Kosovo's budget. However, this external money immediately goes abroad because of the current deficit. Our real need is to make investments in areas that would reduce import and increase export. Despite such great technological development, we buy garlic from China and chickens from Brazil. This situation is unacceptable. Kosovo is a country with fertile land. As a Kosovo, as a political leader, I never believe that Kosovo is a poor state. The only problem is ill-governance, poor economic policies, dependence on external resources, corruption, and colonising state by the years”, Kurti adds.

Our biggest backers are young”

Kurti further says that the hope for changing the system in Kosovo is taken by young people who, as he emphasises, observe everything very well.

The government in Kosovo expands, increases, while the state becomes increasingly narrow. Young people see this and believe that we will change it. We will build the bridge between education and economy. In particular, we will place emphasis on technical and economic education, that is, professional schools. We'll channel young people into the economy from being students. We will educate young people in schools who offer good education. Another issue we attach to is professionalism. For this, our children will be sent abroad and will provide support to their professionalisation in areas that choose”, Kurti points out.

Regarding the headscarf, he said that the women's Islamic covering should not be a problem of governments and deemed the ban an individual or religious preference on the part of governments unjust.

“Shamia is something about human rights and freedoms. So, if we come to the government, even this issue in Kosovo will be eliminated. An Albanian writer has said that we are not tailors to decide what people will wear or decide, or for their length”, Kurti said.

“As many as we are two countries with Albania, we are a nation”

Kurti says Greece, Slovakia, Romania and southern Cyprus oppose Kosovo's EU integration and constantly make obstacles to NATO integration.

These states do not recognise Kosovo as an independent state. Despite all obstacles, we want to focus on the development problems of our country. First of all, we need to secure a democratic state structure in Kosovo, a solid economic development and, most importantly, strengthen and expand the capacity of defence and military. We try this direction. As much as we can, we try to lobby abroad for the recognition of Kosovo”, says Kurti.

He stresses that it is in favour of the EU not interrupting enlargement policy.

“Create five years ago European Commission head Jean Claude Juncker said the EU would not expand in the next five years, Brexit happened. So if you don't expand, you get tight. We as a party think that the six Balkan countries, including Turkey, should integrate into the EU”, the leader of the Vetevendosje Movement, which, however, says political chaos in the Balkans is still ongoing.

More than ethnic causes, political crises are based on religious causes. The Bosnian-Serbian conflict occurred in the region, and this is one of the most tragic events in the region's history. The Serb-Albanian conflict in Kosovo continues even today ideologically. According to me, the Balkans' biggest current problem is Serbia, because even though it steadily decreased, it still dreams of Serbia's big”, he says.

Serbia's potential hostility towards Bosniaks and Albanians is still ongoing. And that makes the region live in constant tension. With the dream of a large Serbia, he tries to eliminate all small states created after Yugoslavia's breakup. It still keeps him alive within potential animosity. Serbia wanted to make coups in Montenegro and Northern Macedonia, but did not succeed. In these coup attempts, she even acted with Russia. Meanwhile, it now wants to eliminate Kosovo and Bosnia, which are partly weak. So Kosovo's biggest problem in the region is Serbia's aggressive stance. I am not against the Serbian people, but Serbia is against us. In this respect, we want to establish closer relations and co-operation with Albania. No matter how different two countries we are, we are a nation”, Albin Kurti said at last. /AAA