Why was Kosovo not invited to the Democracy Summit held today and tomorrow?

Apparently, there are many countries that have expressed disappointment with the guest list, which the American daily Politico originally published, which was then confirmed to the news agency Reuters by a senior American official involved in planning.

According to him, invitations have been sent to countries that have different experiences with democracy, and it has nothing to do with labeling a state whether it is democratic or not.

This Samit will be held virtually on 9 December-10 December and leaders from many countries in the world, members of civil society and the private sector will participate.

On an informally published list by Politico, Kosovo, Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina have not been invited from Western Balkan countries to Sam. The guest list still remains at the level of informal information.

Why wasn't Kosovo invited?

The American Embassy in Pristina has told local media in Kosovo that not all partners have been able to accommodate themselves in this initiative.

The goal has been to unite a regional and socioeconomic group of countries and jurisdictions, including the most developed and developing democracies with diversity in population, demographic and location”, is said in the Embassy's response. Among other things, it has been said that the US continues to be committed to working with Kosovo at other forums to advance in strengthening democracy.

Regarding Kosovo's absence in this regard, Sam has also reacted to the opposition and the connoisseur of political issues in Kosovo.

Alliance for the Future of Kosovo Chairman Ramush Haradinaj has said through a Facebook post that Kosovo's sample should serve as an alarm signal for the degree of degradation of reports with the US as a result of Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti's government.

The Kosovo government has not been declared to the media on this issue.

Political affairs acquaintance Agon Maliqi has also asked on Facebook that “s is possible that the US see us in Europe as part of a non-pressive anti-Western Ottoman club along with Vuciqi, Dodik, Lucason, Orbanin and Erdogan?

I am convinced that it should not have been easy for the United States to do this state they helped create”, Maliqi said.

However, according to Reuters, it will be the president of the Philippines, Rodrigo Duterte, who in the past said that “does not care about human rights” and Indian President Narendra Modi, for whom Freedom House organisation has said it is leading India to authority.

Both countries have been invited and will discuss democracy in parallel with Sweden, for example, or other countries that have high levels of democratic development.

Professor Edward P. Joseph from Johns Hopkins University in Washington has told Radio Free Europe that there can be no comparison, much less draw parallels between Kosovo, Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Kosovo, ironically, is such a young state, but is also one of the most powerful democracies in the Balkans, with a multiparty system, with free media, with a government fighting corruption and organised crime. And these actions are contrary to trends in the region. There are autocratic trends in Serbia. Kosovo cannot be compared even to the dysfunction in Bosnia”.

He has said he does not know whether the reason for the lack of invitation is the Kosovo authorities' decision to interrupt the project to build gas infrastructure financed by the US Government's Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC).

In some cases, the lack of progress in the Kosovo dialogue has also been cited as one of the causes that may have prompted the expulsion of these two countries from the summit, but for Mr. Joseph this question prompts another...

Why has there not been little progress in this process? This requires more clarification”, Joseph said.

According to him, Kosovo has met the required standard for democracy, as well as emphasised the fact that Kosovo is a country with powerful orientation towards the European Union, the United States and NATO.

And whoever participates in this Sam, the vows that participating countries should take on themselves are expected to be ambitious, including the economic country, the United States.

The summit is viewed as one of the U.S. President Joe Biden's main efforts to turn the country into the role of the global leader to confront Russia and China. / REL