Veton Surroi's candidacy for RCC Secretary General Kosovo gets no vote, Bosnia's candidate wins

With Majlinda Bregu's mandate completed in December 2024, the process of choosing her successor began.

Five countries submitted their candidates for this important position: Northern Macedonia, Slovenia, Montenegro, Kosovo and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Kosovo, represented by Veton Surroi, engaged in this diplomatic race in hopes of strengthening its regional position and representing the country's interests. However, the reality of voting showed the challenges Kosovo faced in the process.

In the rounds of the indigenous vote, Bosnia and Herzegovina candidate Amer Kapetanovic led with support from most of the 13 Southeast European member states, followed by Montenegrin and Slovenian candidates.

Veton Surroi, Kosovo's candidate, received only Kosovo's vote, clearly displaying the diplomatic isolation Kosovo continues to experience in the region.

In an effort to reach a consensus, the countries began to withdraw their candidates, to enable Kapetanovic to win by majority votes. In the end, Kosovo also withdrew, offering its support to Bosnia and Herzegovina's candidate. At the closing SEECP summit, held in June 2017 in Skopje, Bosnia and Herzegovina confirmed Kapetanovic's candidacy as the next RCC Secretary General.

One of Kosovo's biggest challenges in this process relates to its complex relations with Bosnia and Herzegovina. Agreements reached at the 2022 Berlin Summit, which included free movement with ID cards throughout the region, were welcomed as a step towards further integration of the Balkans. However, the visa waiver agreement between Kosovo and Bosnia and Herzegovina remains incomplete, largely due to frustrated rhetoric between Albin Kurti and Milorad Dodik.

Despite Albania's efforts, led by Majlinda Bregu, to initiate and negotiate these agreements, political tensions prevented their implementation.

In this context, Kosovo's diplomatic isolation becomes even more visible. Representatives of the Kosovo government have not been present even at regional conferences organised in Pristina, even when these activities are financed by Kosovo partners.

This failure in the race for RCC Secretary General is not just a defeat for Veton Surroi, but a reflection of the biggest challenges facing Kosovo on the regional stage.

Downloading and publishing texts from Albanian Post is not allowed without the source being mentioned. Thank you for respecting the ethics of journalism. /Albanianpost. com/