24 minutes agoAmerican Professor: Trump could reduce political support for Kosovo if rejected with some concessions in negotiations with Serbia
Periskopi(a year ago)
(a year ago)Retired American professor and Balkan policy expert Alon Ben Meir in an authorial article published on the “Emergin Europe” platform, stressed that the new government in Kosovo should bring its domestic priorities together with the expectations of international partners, particularly the United States and the European Union. Ben Meir has estimated that [...]
Ben Meir has estimated that one of the biggest challenges for Kosovo at the moment will be managing relations with US President Donald Trump's administration, as it has a transaction approach to foreign policy and may reduce support for Kosovo, especially in negotiations with Serbia.
The transactional approach of Trump to foreign policy could potentially reduce political support for Kosovo if it does not agree with certain concessions in negotiations with Serbia. Trump requires unconventionally a quick solution to any conflict, despite their complexity”, he wrote.
One of the most disturbing issues, according to Ben Meir, is the possibility of turning to the idea of territorial exchange between Kosovo and Serbia.
He estimated that border correction is extremely dangerous and could create new tensions in the region.
This proposal could foster violence and legitimise ethnic borders, especially when it comes to majority Serb municipalities in northern Kosovo, which would violate Kosovo's territorial integrity and create a dangerous precedent for other states of the region”, Ben Meir highlighted among other countries.
The second major challenge, according to him, is the role of NATO and security guarantees for Kosovo. He warned that Trump has a history of withdrawing from military commitments abroad and that it could reconsider the American presence in KFOR.
In this complicated situation, he considers Kosovo vital to strengthen its ties with the EU. He recalled that relations between Pristina and Brussels have deteriorated in recent years, prompting the EU to impose sanctions on Kosovo.
Ben Meir added that Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti, if he forms the new government, should learn from the past four years in power and not repeat mistakes that have massively shaken Kosovo's relations with the EU and the US.
Kosovo's new “prime minister must declare his readiness to work closely with the new Trump administration and take a less nationalist stance, working to meet EU expectations”, Ben Meir concluded.
