Has Kosovo suspended the lobby?

Representatives of the Government of Kosovo say that institutions, along with other international mechanisms, are working to make Kosovo a member of many international organisations, including financial ones. Recognitions of political developments, meanwhile, stress that Kosovo has so far failed to build a functional and professional diplomacy. Kosovo, according to them, has stalled as far as the issue of lobbying for new recognitions, but also for membership in international organisations.

At the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Diaspora, they say this institution is “continues to work on strengthening the international subjectivity of the Republic of Kosovo”. In a response to Radio Free Europe, from the ministry's Information Office, Kosovo is said to be a member of 106 multilateral (national and regional) mechanisms and 34 sports organisations.

But officials of this ministry have not provided concrete answers to the question in which international organisations are aiming to apply the Republic of Kosovo and is lobbiing for new recognitions of independence.

In June of this year, US Presidential Special Envoy for Dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia Richard Green has said that “Kosovo has agreed to suspend efforts to join international organisations, while Serbia agreed to temporarily suspend Kosovo's non-recognition campaign of independence<1>. This was done to enable continued dialogue for normalisation of relations.

Dialogue was interrupted at the end of 2018, when the Kosovo government imposed a 100 percent tax on products from Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Grenelli also had warned that the two sides would meet at the White House on 27 June. But, this meeting has been cancelled because of the announcement of an indictment against Kosovo President Hashim Thaci by the Specialised Prosecutor at The Hague.

Dialogue, however, has continued in Brussels on 16 July, between Kosovo Prime Minister Avdullah Hoti and Serbian President Aleksandar Vuciq.

Meanwhile, Kosovo Prime Minister Avdullah Hoti has stated in the Kosovo Assembly that “has no suspension of lobbi activities”.

Political officials suspect there has been formal agreement on the issue between the two sides.

Professor Gzim Visoka, legalist for studies on peace and conflicts in Dublin City University in Ireland, said Serbia has argued that Serbia will end its appreciative campaign when Kosovo or its allies complete their recognition campaign.

Visoka thinks that as part of the resumption of EU-mediated dialogue, Serbia and Kosovo have agreed to cut off actions that may seem harmful to the normalisation of interstate reports, but according to him, it appears that there has been more verbal promise than written agreement.

For Serbia, Kosovo's recognition is an attempt to reconcile and ultimately end Kosovo's efforts and its allies for international recognition and membership in international organisation”, Visoka says, adding that this is a diplomatic effort by Serbia aimed at creating a new status quo, where Belgrade officially holds the upper hand in future talks with Kosovo.

And Africa Hoti, professor of International Law at Pristina University, says that if such an agreement existed, it would have to be respected by both sides.

On the contrary, if there is no such agreement, then it is paradoxical to give up the application to international organisations and not just to U. NESTO and INTEPOL, but to continue with a relatively number where Kosovo has the door open, whether those specialised United Nations agencies, where it is not necessary to be a UN member”, Hoti said.

Over the past few years, says Hoti, Kosovo has lost a tremendous amount of time because of its internal political agenda, dealing with secondary and theatre issues, while the country, according to him, has been left without membership in international organisations.

And as for Prime Minister Hoti's statement that “has no suspension of lobbie activities”, Professor Gzim Visoka says that if “declarata is forwarded to a serious diplomatic strategy and actions, it should be welcomed and seen as an effort to revive Kosovo's foreign policy”.

However, if this declaration is made as rhetoric for domestic use or to postpone EU-mediated dialogue, according to Visoka, will have negative consequences for Kosovo.

“This is about the fact that Serbia, which has now warned the continuation of the campaign for recognition and the blame for blocking dialogue, will leave the EU to Kosovo. So Kosovo must share its policy of recognition with the EU-brokered dialogue. These can be done only if you carry out a new strategic and long-term campaign for empowering its international subjectivity”, Visoka said.

Prime Minister Hoti, over the past week, has said that Kosovo's membership in various international organisations takes place in co-ordination with international partners, and that, according to him, without international support, Kosovo cannot join any organisation.

Every Kosovo membership in international organisations is always in co-ordination with our international partners. That's the truth. We have agreed in this process to travel together because we know if we don't have this support, we can't forward this membership agenda to international organisations”, Hoti said after a visit to the Ministry of Defence.

The biggest obstacles Kosovo has had and continues to have from the state of Serbia, which does not recognise Kosovo's independence.

Serbia has been campaigning aggressive diplomaticly since 2017 to attract Kosovo state recognitions. Serbia's Foreign Ministry officials have declared that more than ten countries have attracted Kosovo's recognition.

Due to the lobby against independence that Kosovo on Serbia's part, some states reportedly have frozen co-operation reports with Kosovo.

Serbia's campaign has prevented Kosovo from membership in: the International Crime Police Organisation (INTERPOL) and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Agency (UNESCO).

Except INTERPOL and U NESTO, Kosovo is not a member of either the United Nations Organization, the European Union, the Council of Europe, the World Trade Organization, the World Health Organization and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe.

The organisations in which Kosovo is members are: World Bank, International Monetary Fund, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, World Football Federation, European Football Federation, Olympic Committee, World Customs Organisation, Central European Free Trade Agreement (CEFTA).

Also, Kosovo and the European Union's Law-rule Agency, EUROOPOL, have signed a co-operation agreement on July 27th in order to combat serious crimes. According to Interior Minister Agim Veliu, who signed this agreement, said it would advance and strengthen Kosovo's capacities in combating criminality.

Kosovo, under this agreement, will have liaison officers in EUROOPOL.