German analyst: Kurti made a strategic mistake that provoked the US, didn't even respect the deal with LDK.

Deutsche Welle: Kosovo is in political crisis, as if the Corona crisis is not enough, the government collapsed after the no-confidence motion. Why did Albin Kurti fail so quickly?

Johanna Deimel: If we remember, government creation also took a long time. For the first time in Kosovo, coalition deals were made. But this coalition from the beginning was a “marriage by the reason”, but that means, everyone should respect the deals and that consultations are held among the ruling parties. This clearly did not work and caused anger. As I hear from Pristina, this has been Albin Kurti's biggest political mistake. In addition, a strategic error comes, because Albin Kurti with his “Jo” for the immediate removal of customs provoked the US. And it didn't help anymore, that he was willing to remove part of them. Washington's pressure was huge.

How do you evaluate this situation now? Early elections again?

Initially Albin Kurti will continue to perform government duties. Under the constitution, Vetevendosje will be mandated, VV again with the creation of a government. That's why Kurt must go to President Thaci, and that's not what I predict in the nearest time. The question is, if a coalition of government can be established with LDK, NISMA and AAK. Perhaps Albin Kurti is targeting early elections. But due to the COVID-19 crisis, this may last several months until it begins to think about it. Unfortunately, Kosovo faces uncertain and difficult times. Where ideological gaps and political forces co-operate in other countries to hold responsibility for people in extraordinary situations because of the virus, Kosovo adds to the situation with non-resistable political institutions.

Kurti said in parliament on Wednesday that the reason for the no-confidence motion against his government was not the dismissal of the interior minister, but an agreement with Serbia containing the partition of Kosovo, and he opposes it. He openly attacked the president as well. What is behind this political struggle?

Along with the competencies dispute between the VV and the LDK, it is likely also a matter of continuing the dialogue, Vucic and Thaci said otherwise, that they come to an end with the agreement, which they may have reached. President Thaci in the past weeks has not left a single case without coming up against Prime Minister Kurti. On the other hand, Kurti denied the president the right to negotiate in the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue. At a time that Kurti, clearly and sometimes clarified, that for him there is no priority dialogue, he will take care of the domestic situation in the country and fight hard corruption, President Thaci, in accordance with Richard Green, further continued the dialogue in Washington. This has certainly led to the collapse of the government.

Before the no-confidence vote, Germany and France called for the no-confidence motion to be dropped. Why were these calls ignored?

That's why you have to ask politicians in Kosovo. Demarshi (the verbal request of France and Germany, St.

There have been rumours of a Kosovo-Serbia agreement to be signed at the White House... but there is no clarity about what kind of agreement this will be. They're not walking at all on an EU and US line about Kosovo?

What we see, however, is that between the US and the EU, or between certain member states, there are different visions of how the agreement is dealt. At a time that the special task assigner, Grenelli is on a line with Thaci and Vucic, and would also give the go-ahead for an exchange of territories, other states, among them Germany and Chancellor Angela Merkel are clearly against that. The US has also made good use of the time when the EU should be reconfigured and for this it was not capable of action for a long time. America First. It's about a success in Trump's foreign policy, which, if necessary, has no regard for losses. Kosovo is a good game square for President Trump to work against The EU. Now Miroslav Lajcak would have to be appointed as the EU's charge for Kosovo-Serbia dialogue, and a dialogue meeting should soon be held in Paris. Now that the government has collapsed, I see no chance of that at any given time.

The EU seems paralyzed in Kosovo, nothing is moving, dialogue is frozen. President Thaci didn't hide it, that he lost faith in The EU. Even two transport agreements for railways and air movements were reached with US assistance. What should the EU take to be active again?

But two “transport deals are on paper, as far as I know. There's a lot of show after that. President Thaci has deeply blamed the EU. True, it is unbearable and unattended that there is still no visa liberalisation for Kosovo. However, Thaci has been discredited as future negotiating partner in a dialogue with the EU on my opinion Kosovo-Serbia moderates by the EU. When dialogue resumes, we don't even know that because of pandemic. This adds to the elections in Serbia, which have also been postponed. Now the new situation in Kosovo. The EU should and will help Kosovo pass the pandemic. This is now more important than thinking about borders.

Johanna Deimel is an independent German analyst. For a long time she has been deputy director of the Southeast European Association in Munich. By February of this year she is a member of the association's board