Hakki Abazi: There have been people who have lost their lives in efforts against Association

During an interview for Voice of America, Abazi, says that prior to a form proposal take or leave, the country must do its best to ensure the functionality of the state of Kosovo. But he doubts that such a thing will be possible.

According to Abaz, the Vetevendosje Movement has had two years to recurse another position, so that what started ten years ago did not end in the current situation, with an agreement, involving all agreements signed in the past, including those that are problematic about the question of the Kosovo state's functionality.

Voice of America: Mr. Ahaz, while Kosovo is marking the 25th anniversary of the start of the war these days, Western countries' efforts, which with their commitment ended the war, have taken on a new intensity, for a normalisation of relations with Serbia on the basis of a European proposal. What is your assessment, do you think after 25 years, Kosovo and Serbia will manage to normalise relations?

Hakki Abazi: This day, in which we are speaking, is the day of the KLA's epic, a moment of great pain, but also of an endless heroism of the Jashar family. And this marks after more than 10 years of talks, another moment of attempting the European Union and the United States of America to bring the issue of Serbia-Kosovo dialogue to an end. You rightly said that on February 27th an agreement has been entered, although it has not been signed, waiting for guides, which has a deepening deepening of the problems, which are real on the ground. Of course, a small Kosovo, with little power, has been put in a position where this proposal is already, take or leave it, and we have to do our best, within this period of time for this deal to bring out the best things for the functioning of the state of Kosovo. Will it be possible? I have doubts that Serbia is serious about ending dialogue with Kosovo. It is buying time to avoid seeing in light of the failure to impose sanctions on Russia and also playing double game with the European Union. But anyway, we're here. We have an insistence on the U.S. Administration, with the support of the European Union, on completing the issue. The process has ended with an agreement, which also accepts all agreements signed in the past, including those that have been problematic on the issue of the functioning of the state of Kosovo.

Voice of America: You're probably referring to the issue of the Serb majority Communist Association. What's your opinion? What solution did this issue have to take?

Hakki Abazi: It has been a mistake to get past the Ahtisaari Plan into dialogue to make the issue of one-way implementation part of the agreements. It continues to be wrong because it is a direct objection to Kosovo's multiethnic character, under which Kosovo's independence has been declared, and the compromises that have been made in Ahtisaari's time. The solution would be for Serbia to be seen in the light of paradoxical demands for instrumentising the Serbian population in Kosovo in its interest. That is, from fighting tanks he made in the 1990s, Belgrade has returned its efforts to sabotage the functionality of neighbouring states through local Serbs. Not only the shouldn't be in Kosovo, but also in northern Macedonia and Montenegro. But that is the reality. I think we've been wrong for the past two years in dialogue, continuing with the impression that we can get into another situation and the idea that the conflict in Ukraine will be in the interests of Kosovo. In fact, this has turned to tremendous pressure through talks in Brussels, in a framework of the situation, where it gets or leaves an agreement, which may not be the best for Kosovo.

Voice of America: Yet, all that you said, Mr. Ahaz, seems to belong to history, we are in these conditions. The establishment of the Association of Serb majority municipalities is Kosovo's international obligation, has an existing agreement, has been approved in parliament, the Constitutional Court has not rejected it as a whole, and says it makes the necessary changes and progress in this direction. What would be the solution?

Hakki Abazi: The solution I think has been and should be that the state of Kosovo must do what is imposed on it in the sense of an association, which has no executive competence and is not the third power in Kosovo, to achieve at another moment, where functionality, economic development, prosperity can be a new offer for all residents, including Serbs. But focusing on mechanisms, which will undermine the functionality of the state of Kosovo, will be further deepening of the problem rather than the solution -- what the international community requires today.

Voice of America: Do you think there are spaces that even at this moment, in the expected discussions that will be held in Ohrid for this matter to change, those problems can be revised? Will the Kosovo side be more vocal in this case?

Hakki Abazi: I think there's a shrink in space. We're actually dealing with a process that has involved all past agreements, including Association, and it's problematic in itself from which it can hardly be obtained. I think there was space two years after the Vetevendosje Movement took power, so that there would be a recornation and conviction and another position. That didn't happen.

Voice of America: In your opinion, what should Mr. Kurt have done that didn't suit you?

Hakki Abazi: I think it should be an offensive diplomacy in the United States, a much more adequate device with Balkan affairs experts in Washington, Berlin, Brussels and London that this flow started ten years ago does not end in the situation and results we have. Second, the evidence that we can make the state through economic development and brain maintenance in our country, that the internationals don't see us as a state that is failing to sustain itself and therefore need a solution to move to another stage of development.

Voice of America: In Mr. Kurti's first government, you were the second man behind him, deputy prime minister. In the second government, you didn't get any office, until recently you were chairman of the Foreign Affairs Commission. Your critics say many of your criticisms are actually rhetorical and revenge. How do you respond to these assessments?

Hakki Abazi: I think that might be a form of judgment. But we have to get back to the results. If what I say and the form of criticism that I do has nothing to do with the results and acceptance already of a new congratulation of the agreement that contains within it all of what we have had political cause like the Vetevendosje movement, against which we have also protested in Parliament and on the streets, there have been people who have lost their lives in efforts against association, then they could certainly be considered rhetorical and revenge. But the position without transparency to end with the involvement of Association and a framework of the same dialogue and what other governments have done, certainly brings me to the position of critic versus change, which has even been done without public debate. This is the biggest pain, because I think we've missed an extraordinary chance to re-organize as parties in dialogue to escape and leave the deal, which have been signed for reasons they know, but most of them are not already part of politics. That's why we've got trust from citizens, thinking we're gonna do better than that.