Two non-recognition states, China, Russia invade Kosovo market with goods

The two most powerful states in the world that still do not recognise the state of Kosovo, Russia and China, have a high trade circulation in Kosovo.

Only of these two countries, this year our country imported goods worth about 300m euros. As of Serbia, which this year has an increase in import, totals about 200m euros.

Kosovo's remittances to these countries are minimal.

Nongovernmental organisations in the country require the Kosovo government to be more active and to use these commercial reports on advancing or normalising relations with these states for recognition.

Kosovo Customs spokesman Adriatic Stavileci says of Kosovo Prees, that China is in the top five countries category of which Kosovo imports. As it adds that goods imported from Russia are mainly derivative products.

With the Russian Federation, we don't have any large commercial circulation in terms of balance, but there are some products coming from Russia or Russian origin. This year we've only imported 28m euros worth of products, while China with imported products, is in the top five countries category of which we import. From Russia we mainly import oil and derivative products. As long as we have had about 130m euros with China import, this figure has increased to 273 million in this period that we are talking to”, he says.

As for the other neighbouring state, Serbia, which does not recognise Kosovo, Stavileci stresses that this year the import of goods with this state has reached about 200m euros.

Serbia's “as far as it is concerned, we should say that we have had reciprocity measures against Serbia's goods, and this has influenced the import of Serbian products to be significantly reduced. If in an earlier period we have had about 450 million imports within the year from Serbia, winters are still not expected to be spent 200m euros of goods from Serbia”, Stavileci notes.

On this issue, Lilica Agusholli from the Group for Jury and Political Studies (GLPS) estimates that these trade relations with China and Russia are also directed in political terms.

Of course, Kosovo has trade relations even with these non-concilative states, but it should lead to another level of being more official that would help open larger roads. But, of course, for the lobbies of Russia and Serbia in these countries, it is very difficult to say what could stop these and not know whether it is possible for Kosovo through these trade ties to possibly affect in that respect... Yes, Kosovo does not have the capacity to counter these two large states in that way, but must start with smaller steps, such as co-operation separately with each state and lobbying in a different way”, she says.

While the executive director of the Council of European Investors (KIE), Emrush Ujkan says of KosovoPress, that stopping these products is difficult, especially the Chinese one.

He adds that such trade ties had to be viewed as opportunities.

We as a country that aims to find a place in the international arena, we have a great deficit, that's why you must love what doesn't love you. This is our approach, our flaw, which creates a kind of deficit in these relationships. The second is about two relatively important acts... In international relations, things can generally change quickly. Our heading was west in some form said no to these countries we referred to. You know, they break through, it's hard to stop those products. It's hard to stop the Chinese product... This, however, had to be viewed as opportunities rather than shortcomings because of commercial connections or commercial reports. This is an opportunity to consider using”, he stressed.

Kosovo has a large import of goods, even from the five EU states, no Kosovo connoisseurs with around 270m euros annually.