Kurti-Rama battle expands to Northern Macedonia, one to opposition, the other to DUI

Albin Kurti and Edi Rama no longer meet as good friends, and in two recent times, Kosovo's prime minister has refused to meet with Albania's prime minister. Initially, he did not expect it in Pristina and later did not visit it at a meeting with regional leaders in Tirana.

Kurti's relations with Rama have cooled so much that their differences reflect also on the Albanian political scene in northern Macedonia.

Kurti will go on Friday in northern Macedonia and will not meet with the chairman of the largest Albanian party there, Ali Ahmeti, with whom many issues do not share the same opinion. But it will meet Chairman of the Cair municipality in Skopje Visar Ganiu and Tetovo Mayor Bilal Kasami, both representatives of the opposition Albanian parties: Democratic release ʹthe faction released by DUI and the Besa Movement. With the latter, the Vetevendosje Movement has shown early on some kind of closeness.

The cabinet of Prime Minister Kurti has not specifically responded to Radio Europe's free interest in why he will not meet with Ahmeti this time.

The “Visit of Prime Minister Kurti in northern Macedonia will be realised at the invitation of the chairman of the Carir municipality, Visar Ganiu, and the chairman of the Tetovo municipality, Bilall Kasami, on the occasion of the appointment of a road to Skopje by the name of the Ademi Demaci event and the inauguration of a key road segment of the Prizren-Tetove<1> connection, said Government spokesman Perprogion Kryziu. He has simply mentioned that Kurti and Ahmeti have met “within the framework of the Prespa Forum in Struga” and that “communing between government cabinets is regular”.

Bujar Osmani, the minister of foreign affairs of northern Macedonia who comes from DUI, said they have been officially informed of Kurti's visit, charging that he will go to the neighbouring country as prime minister.

We don't have official information on Kurt's arrival. Thus, he is probably not coming as prime minister. We're looking at social networks, only party communication, so I really have no idea what visit this is about,”, Osman said on Monday at the Sitel Television.

Asked whether he fears strengthening the opposition, Osmani said they have repeatedly called for union of the Albanian opposition.

Because I think it's not good to fragment political scene. Because there is a tendency in Albanians, a lot of equipment, that every city has a political party that clashes with each other on local issues and never manages to increase their capacities to the actual level of the political party, which can present and defend its interests”, he said.

Osmani stressed that DUI opposes it and that this party “for 20 years is representing Albanians from Kumanovo to Struga”.

The statement by Albanian Chief diplomat of Northern Macedonia will not please Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti. But Bujar Osman loves Eddie Rama. The Albanian prime minister had said a year ago that he would love it in his government.

“ ...in the middle of the process there was one person who would be very happy if we could have made it available to the Government of Albania, Bujar Osman. Great. Suuper”, Rama expressed.

Albania's prime minister has good relations with DUI in Government, especially with the chairman of this party, Ali Ahmeti, who considered the Balkan Open <x0focuser” and who takes the chance to quote it no time. Ahmeti, meanwhile, calls Rama <x2 micmics”. Rama has very good relations with Deputy Prime Minister Artan Grubi, who he said “is the best Albanian among Macedonians”.

Rama had invited leaders of the main Albanian parties in northern Macedonia to a meeting before the Alliance for Albanians was convinced to join Government.

On the other hand, the leaders of Albanian opposition parties in northern Macedonia, the Besa Movement, the Alternative and the recently breakaway Democratic Movement from DUI have intensified the meetings. Kurti's visit to northern Macedonia is also seen as an effort to unite Albanian parties in the neighbouring state.

Izet Mexhiti, the initiator of the new Democratic Movement party, said Kurti's visit there is in the function of deepening Albanian opposition co-operation with the Movement of Position. He said they will talk about political topics like the Berlin Process.

The “will also be discussed on political topics, where there will be a division between those with the Open Balkans and those, to us, as well as the Kurti that we are for the Berlin Process. Normally, we will talk about topics that deepen co-operation between the Albanian opposition front in Macedonia (North) with the Vetevendosje Movement in Kosovo”, Medzit told Radio Free Europe.

Bilall Kasami, with whom Kurti will meet, has also criticised the Open Balkans initiative.

Northern Macedonia is ahead of a process where it will have to move in an effort to escape blocking the country's EU integration process. The precondition on this path is the issue of changing the Constitution and including Bulgarians in preambles, for which power does not suffice. The opposition says power has legitimacy and requires early elections./The newspaperexpress. com