Costett: Kosovo's biggest enemy is complacency

Kostett has said Kosovo's biggest enemy is complacency. He said the aid Kosovo always expects between the internationals will not last forever.

I think that Kosovo's biggest enemy is complacency. What do I mean by that? Over the past 20 years, a situation has emerged in Kosovo, where people have gotten used to the international community that makes a lot of money in the country, helping the people of Kosovo solve their problems. Every time there is an internal crisis, Quinti, KFOR or the EU are there to keep hands on people and help them at such times. It won't last forever”, Costnett said.

The American ambassador has also expressed concern about the dependence of Kosovo's economy on revenues from the diaspora. Even that, according to him, won't last forever.

“Also, Kosovo has become very dependent, with some saying that up to 30% of its economy is based on revenues from the diaspora. It won't be long. And I say this because we have a lot of experience in the U.S. immigrant communities that settle in the United States. The model is always the same. The first generation will send a lot of money home, the second generation will not. I think that's also for the Kosovo diaspora throughout Europe. So we're going to continue this complacency slowly, we won't make difficult political decisions, and our international friends will be there for us that'll change. The United States is Kosovo's partner. We will remain Kosovo partner. However, all of our aid programmes are intended to help Kosovo become an independent, self-sufficient country. They are not intended to be permanent grants. And I think that Kosovo society is expected to become more mature and take on more responsibilities”, Costett said.

He said it is normal that the US has invested so much in Kosovo, comparing this with the way Americans treat their children and then make them aware that they have to find a job and become independent.

“We expect Kosovo to become more mature as a democracy and as an economy and take on more responsibility. I don't think that's a negative thing. It is normal for a country in which we offer great help to help build its capacities to become more and more independent. About a year ago, one of Kosovo's political leaders told me, you know, it's the international fault we depend so much on you and you can't expect this to change overnight, because you created this culture. And that should be considered, but my answer is to see how Americans treat their children. We treat them as precious jewelry for 18 or 20 years, and then we say well, go find a job, find an apartment, live your life. We don't stop loving our children”, Costnet said.