Thaci continues meetings, government seeks co-ordination

He met at the White House on March 2nd with Serbian President Aleksandar Vuciq, as “said the possibility of reaching a final” agreement between the two countries. This meeting was called by US President Donald Trump, Ambassador Richard Green and National Security Adviser Robert O'Brien.

The end of the dialogue should come as soon as possible with a final agreement, which implies mutual recognition, no less or more, under current territorial integrity”, President Thaci told Radio Free Europe.

In a Facebook post, Thaci has requested that reporting be made available in the Kosovo Assembly on Wednesday or Thursday to inform MPs about meetings in Washington and what was discussed there.

Representatives of the Government of Kosovo have reacted after the Thaci-Wucciq meeting, as it has been said, not co-ordination with the Government of Kosovo.

Prime Minister Albin Kurti, before the launch of the US president, has launched a series of letters directed to the president himself and leaders of political parties.

Through these letters, Kurti had initially invited Kosovo President Hashim Thaci to sit down and discuss unifying positions in foreign policy, with particular emphasis on dialogue with Serbia.

As political, opposition party leaders, he has been directed to harmonise internal positions about an inclusion in the dialogue process.

Kurti invites Thaci for discussions on foreign policy

Kurti has repeated in several statements, including the latest session of the assembly held on March 2nd, that he has invited President Hashim Thaci to meet and co-ordinate for the actions of institutions for foreign policy.

I am waiting on the return of the president (v.j. from the U.S. and let's make an open discussion on foreign policy. He's got some attitude, I have some ideas, but until I was prime minister he wrote me from two letters a day, now he's leaving”, Kurti declared in the assembly. He has also confirmed that the letter has sent even to the leaders of opposition parties, but has not received answers.

While inviting him to the meeting to unify foreign policy, Kurti raises his doubts that Thaci has violated the Constitution with the signing of a <x0-> secret agreement with NATO in 2013, asking the speaker of the assembly, Vjosa Osmani to pass this case to the assembly, where MPs will assess whether Thaci should be dismissed from the president's post.

In the Government of Kosovo, it is necessary for institutions and political parties to harmonise for foreign policy.

Kosovo Deputy Prime Minister Haki Abazi told Radio Free Europe, that they are constantly trying to make co-ordination within the definition of responsibilities and rights granted to the Constitution of Kosovo.

“Of course we're not at the satisfactory level because there haven't been meetings before Munich Conference. Also, no discussions and co-ordination have occurred before the president's visit to the US. This actually shows that the old mind of governance dominates only at President”, Abazi said.

Aazi said that as governments are open for meetings and co-ordination in the country's best interests and full respect of the Constitution.

We will insist that no step is taken without co-ordination and reconciliation, especially when it comes to issues that are sensitive and complicated and that reports with the state of Serbia are of that type”, Abazi said.

Free Europe Radio has tried to contact members of Kosovo President Hashim Thaci's cabinet to understand how the co-ordination between the presidency and the government will be made in foreign policy, but contact with them has been impossible.

“A state, two foreign policies”

Earlier, prior to the president's visit to the United States, Bekim Colak, chief of staff at the Presidency, has told Radio Free Europe that the unification of foreign policy remains permanent.

This should not be questioned in any case, regardless of the challenges we face. All state institutions are obliged to behave and co-ordinate as envisioned by our Constitution “, Colak has said about REL on February 19th.

Recognitions of political developments in Kosovo consider that Kosovo has so far been introduced to two types of foreign policy.

Butrint Berisha from the Pristina Institute for Political Studies tells Radio Free Europe that if a state has two types of foreign policy, it can be considered that that state has no foreign policy at all.

One of the most disturbing aspects is that the political struggle between parties is being carried on in foreign policy, even in diplomatic service, in terms of the war how Kosovo should be represented outside”.

“Even the recent exchanges between the new prime minister and the president, I think they are in that wave and of course this is not good news, especially when we are aware of a phase where, apparently, we will have special US diplomatic engagement to give an epilogue to the dialogue process”, Berisha said.

He also said the way Kosovo foreign policy has worked so far has caused major damage to the country.

“Sela every time the prime minister and president communicate in this way through the media, accusing each other, of course Kosovo's foreign policy suffers and damaged”, he said.

Recognisors of developments in Kosovo have declared that Kosovo's foreign policy in recent years has undergone a very difficult period, with a battle between the president and the past government leading the process of political dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia. In this direction, they say, Kosovo has had two types of foreign policies led in two ways.