Faton Bislimi: US has options for Kosovo in any situation

In a conversation for Gazeta Express, says that even on the issue of dialogue with Serbia, to win, Kosovo must be on a line with the US. He says mutual recognition is established as the cornerstone of the final agreement with Serbia and that this is done with American insistence.

From my experience on two decades of intensive lobbie work with the Albanian-American Civic League in Washington, DC, and especially on Capitol Hill, I can say that our friendship with the United States is unique and should be preserved as such. Any violation of this friendship affects Kosovo itself. After all, the Republic of Kosovo is also an American project and the United States will not allow its failure if we want to. For that reason, the United States has more plans for our country than we have. They have options that will be put into operation in each created state”.

The former delegation says Kosovo remains to move quickly towards completing the dialogue process with Serbia in full co-ordination with the US and that then “the profit is ours”.

Whenever Kosovo is positioned on the same line as the US has emerged victorious, in any historic process for the country, whether in Rambouillet, or even in Vienna. Kosovo's freedom and independence are also realities today that in the background have the support of US non-Saves. So, even in the long-standing process of dialogue with Serbia, we have to come off victorious, and we do that only when we are on a line with the US”.

Bislimi says even if it is put at a point where the final agreement is on the table and Serbs do not accept it, in co-ordination with America and with their blessing, Kosovo will be victorious.

And Vienna will testify. As far as Albanians were concerned, Serbs neither accepted the Rambouillet agreement nor the Ahtisaari Plan, and as a result, Kosovo gained freedom and independence, respectively. At that time and under those circumstances, both Rambouje and Ahtisaari, for many in Kosovo were not good enough for Kosovo, but in retrospect today we see that they have been the best solutions for time and circumstances, and that eventually Kosovo has benefited from these solutions more than Serbia”.

Bislimi says the same happens with dialogue in the end, so he recommends that Kosovo not prolong the process since it only suits Serbia. He says that if the restructuring side remains Serbia, Kosovo may have benefits from the US, one of which may be NATO membership.

“At the end of the process, if we manage to accept the Serbs' agreement and are already known that they will refuse any final agreement that has mutual recognition at the centre, then we will win because the US will guarantee some additional and short-term benefits for Kosovo. One of these key benefits will be the quick membership of Kosovo in NATO”.

Bislimi says that the sooner it reaches the finals of the dialogue process, the sooner Kosovo will be relieved of this burden and will move on the path of Euro-Atlantic integration.

“Vec prolonging the process does not match Kosovo. I hope that by the end of the year you were coming, Kosovo will be rid of the dialogue and will be on the right track. NATO and the EU. Bilateral recognition is set as the cornerstone of the final agreement with Serbia, and this is done with American insistence. If Serbia in no option does not accept this kind of agreement, which I have said is known that they accept it, then American engagement will be in line with the long-term national interests of Kosovo and its national security. In this situation, Kosovo would move quickly towards NATO membership”.