Hoxha: Any Kosovo breach also affects Albania

In a response to “top-channel”, following Serbian President Aleksandar Vuciq's statements that the Kosovo coalition- Albania Croatia is a threat to Serbia, Hoxha has said Albania's policy is based on co-operation, good neighbourly and European integration of the region.

He has said Albania has chosen not to react publicly to repeated statements by the highest authorities in Serbia. The claims in Serbia have described them as untrue and exaggerated.

The claims of a so-called tripartite alliance against Serbia are false and completely exaggerated. No matter how strongly or repeatedly this is mentioned, it does not make it true. Albania is not part of any regional alliance or otherwise directed against any country in the region. We share the same approach with other regional partners and allies, including Croatia, on this issue. The only alliance Albania is part of is the Atlantic Alliance. NATO, along with Croatia, Northern Macedonia, Montenegro and other allied countries, which also has the doors opened for Serbia”, Hoxha has said.

He has added that any co-operation of Albania with partners, aimed at strengthening stability and security, and that support for Kosovo applies to the Euro-Atlantic path and is directed against anyone.

“This is a sovereign choice of Kosovo institutions and citizens, and Albania is willing to support it constructively and consistently”, Hoxha has said.

He has also estimated that Albania has chosen not to fall into the logic of unnecessary rhetoric and escalation.

It's easy to engage in a statement crash, but there's more importance to clarity in attitudes and consistency in politics. We speak through our concrete engagement in NATO, in the Berlin Process, and in any initiative, regional or wider, aimed at regional stability, security and development. We have made these positions clear to our co-versants from Serbia and will continue to do so calmly, cautiously and patiently”, the Albanian foreign minister has added.

Hoxha has said such narravities are used for internal discussions or to justify specific policies.

He has added that Albania unconditionally supports Kosovo and its path, but also the entire region towards Euro-Atlantic institutions. She has also said that Albania is committed to developing normal and constructive reports with Serbia.

This is in full compliance with our principled attitudes and part of a broader vision for a region that, if you don't forget the past, makes every effort to overcome it through dialogue, co-operation and European integration. The tragic past of the Balkans is a lesson for all; the common European future is, in our judgment, should be the only guide. Albania remains steadfast in its strategic orientation: a stable, secure and integrated region in the European Union. For this reason, we will continue to act with responsibility, discretion and full co-ordination with our international partners, not being diverted from our path because of statements that do not reflect reality, but actively contributing to peace, stability and long-term security in the region”, he said.

Hoxha has also said Serbia is already known to have increased its military capacities. According to him, it is already known in Brussels as well, but also in the US. However, according to him, this should not be used to create <x0 climate alarm”.

It's important to clearly separate facts from perceptions. It is true that Serbia has increased its military capacities and developed co-operation in this area with various actors, including Russia and China. This is a sovereign choice. This doesn't go unnoticed, neither here nor Brussels, and I want to believe, either in Washington or Washington. But at the same time, this should not be used to create an alarm climate or to justify unnecessary escalation in the region. For years, if not decades now, Albania does not support its security and the region's security on rhetoric or on “the loss of voice”, but on a concrete security architecture. We are a NATO member, part of the most powerful security alliance in the world, and every development in the region is seen and treated in this context. This is the strongest guarantee of peace and stability”, Hoxha has said.

For Kosovo, he has said the position is clear: “Albania strongly and unequivocally supports its sovereignty and territorial integrity and condemns any actions or rhetoric that violates stability in the north or elsewhere. But just as important is to maintain calm, avoid provocations and move forward through facilitated dialogue by the European Union”.

Hoxha has said KFOR in Kosovo is the key instrument of security, not tourism. He added that KFOR's role is preventative, and its presence is a message that security in Kosovo and in the region is not in vacuum.

Remember: KFOR is in Kosovo not for tourism or to draw up long- range reports, but as a key instrument of international security, located precisely to ensure and consolidate peace and stability on the ground. KFOR's presence is a concrete security guarantee, not only for Kosovo institutions, but for all its citizens, indiscriminately. He acts in close co-ordination with Kosovo authorities and with international partners to prevent the escalation of tensions and to react quickly to any potential risks. In this context, KFOR's role is also essential as a preventative factor to any action that could affect stability in northern Kosovo or beyond. His presence is a clear message that security in Kosovo and in the region is not left in vacuum, but relies on a strong international security architecture, where NATO and allies play an irreplaceable”, Hoxha has said.

Given KFOR's role, Hoxha has said it should be understood that Kosovo is alone and that peace in it is a common international priority.

“We have said and will repeat: any breach of Kosovo's security constitutes also the security breach of Albania”, he said.

Albania, as Hoxha has said, is strengthening co-operation with allies and increasing responsible defence capacities. He has said it is normal for Albania to develop the defence industry with partner countries.

In the end, he has said that Albania does not want to become part of tense rhetoric, but to be a factor of stability.

Last year, Croatia, Albania and Kosovo signed a Declaration for Co-operation in the Defence and Security Field, which was said to be aimed at strengthening stability and security in Southeast Europe, supporting the Euro-Atlantic road and deepening co-operation among the three friendly countries. Representatives of all three states have denied that the alliance threatens Serbia, but despite that, Aleksandar Vucciki repeatedly expresses the claim.