Hoxhaj: Joseph Borrell's conversation was harmful to Kosovo

The “for us has been unacceptable to dialogue with Serbia in Brussels, while Serbia hits the state of Kosovo through recognition withdrawals. When we saw concrete facts in 2018 and 2019, the only chance was for us to make an action, which was a temporary measure, which was to set a fee on Serbian products. Through an economic shock we wanted to balance a political blow from Serbia”.

Furthermore, the former Kosovo Foreign Minister underlined: ” Linked to the Balkans for the EU dialogue has not been a priority topic, as there has been more attention to resolving Macedonia's name and then the Kosovo dialogue -- Serbia. The EU has faced major challenges such as Russian intervention in Eastern and Southeast Europe, with Russian interventions within European countries, etc., but there have also been major topics such as attitudes towards Iran and Korea, climate, transatlantic reports and no great attention to us”.

Enver Hoxhaj stopped in yet another political dimension of current mediation from the EU under the direction of its new foreign policy chief Joseph Borrell: “In negotiations depends much on the mediator, on personality, character, beliefs and expectations. I was a follower of Mr. Borrell's appointment not to label him. But after the visit he held in Pristina and Belgrade and with the discour he had was harmful to Kosovo. I think that if Borrely is more concerned about what Russia and China think, then I ask what the EU strategic partners are for the topic of dialogue as well. While his conduct in Pristina was unacceptable, he refused to meet Prime Minister Haradinaj, and neither did I as a member of the Office of Prime Minister”.

In contrast, Enver Hoxhaj said about Washington's stance on dialogue: ” Mr. Granel's engagement is positive news and has been our request. In many meetings for Americans to engage in the Kosovo dialogue Serbia and in my view the role of Ambassador Green and Mr. Matthew Palmer does not rule each other out. Since dialogue will be a Kosovo-Serbia bilateral topic, Ambassador Granel will play his role, while Mr. Palmer can help by negotiating with other states that have not recognised Kosovo. This also shows that the US is focusing more on the Balkans following Montenegro's NATO membership after resolving Macedonia's name and NATO membership, now Kosovo dialogue Serbia is the only topic left on the table to resolve, and without an American intervention it is unthinkable to be resolved. During this year, there seems to be a timetable, a concrete agenda with concrete themes, it is vital for us to close this topic in favour of the state of Kosovo, not to do favour to Serbia, but it is in our interest that we membership Kosovo at UN”.

As more concrete, he added: “Dialog must have new speed, should be set, must have measurable goals. The airline, for example, is necessary in several ways: it first enables the free movement of people, second will give recognition to Kosovo's passport because this is an international flight; third, we will normalise our airspace, as the only area where we don't have literal sovereignty is air space, because it controls NATO, and that means many of these are going to pass through to the Civil Aviation Aviation of Kosovo. So we would complete our sovereignty”.

Asked about the possibility of PDK participation in the potential negotiating group for Kosovo- Serbia Hoxhaj said that: “We should first see what Mr. Kurti thinks about dialogue and what platforms he will stage in the Assembly and what political actions he will take. If you think about removing the tax without having a platform of what the Kosovo government expects for dialogue would be improvised, as reciprocity is very complex. We will assess Mr. Kurti according to the facts and not according to his daily rhetoric for dialogue”.

Expressing the American stance on dialogue, after Ambassador Green's commitment he underlined: “as long as the Americans want to close such a topic on our part, we need to give the maximum, but of course concrete circumstances must be considered. Not only reaching agreement but what we have learned is implementing agreements. After the implementation of the agreement takes place in the United Nations in New York. We need to know how Russia will behave to such an agreement, China as well, so global actors. These are issues you can close alone The United States because we don't have the capacity to do that. I have full confidence in President Trump's administration and Ambassador Green. Others may have local perceptions, but I think the Trump administration may be determined to close this issue”.

The former Kosovo Foreign Minister also talked about his position and the party that represents regarding the Balkan Schengen. According to Enver Hoxhaj: “I think that in the past three years there is a wrong approach of some colleagues in Pristina, but also of some in Tirana when it comes to communications on social networks after they are accused and against charges against each other that is not a dignified conduct, not for us in Pristina or for our brothers in Tirana. Our reasons are simple why we oppose the Balkan Schengen: we do not want to share Kosovo's state sovereignty with Serbia and with Bosnia, which do not recognise Kosovo. I think there has been no serious consultations with us in Pristina either. I think even Prime Minister Rama cannot send the invitation to Pristina as if it were a third country without knowing what Albania's expectations of such a process is essentially. As for capital circulation and goods, it regulates the CEFTA agreement, freedom of movement and work permits, with recognition of diplomas I think every state should have bilateral agreements. We all know that anyone can bring four or five prime ministers together, but in the end, states have to make bilateral agreements. We have the circulation with most countries in the region, writes Euronews Albania.

At the end of the conversation, halting the Balkan Schengen stance, Hoxhaj made a comparison: “initially in 2016 has had a proposal for a Customs Union and for the first time the proposal has been in an Austrian newspaper “Presse”. I was the foreign minister and I followed it as a matter, and we realised that Serbs have made a strategic document, a type of pope to put this idea in public opinion and get European support. We rejected it and Albania rejected it at the time. The other theme has been the joint regional economic zone and now has a recoherance of the same idea with Minisen. I judge that Kosovo and Albania should sit down and talk quietly. So far there has been no serious exchange of thoughts except on social networks”, he told Euronews.