Question: Mr. Prime Minister, was this your first meeting with Ms. Kallas in her capacity as the new head of European diplomacy? Could you please tell us what topics were the focus of the discussions?
Prime Minister Kurti: I publicly thank Ms. Kallas for her hospitality today, and I wish her much success in her new role and duties.
Of the leaders that Europe has today, I believe that Ms. Kallas is in the right place at the right time.
We have high hopes that the Republic of Kosovo and the Western Balkans region will greatly benefit in terms of European democratic values, economic and financial support, and peace and security in general.
With Madam Kallas, we discussed the issues of Kosovo’s progress concerning European integrations, as well as the relations with our northern neighbor, Serbia.
For the first point, I emphasized that we have experienced unprecedented economic growth and democratic progress in independent Kosovo. Simultaneously, we have also managed the most severe security challenges, the most serious threats which resulted in the killing of our police sergeant, Afrim Bunjaku. The chief criminal of the gang that committed this is kept free and supported by Serbia. Therefore, we consistently request at that meeting, in every meeting, the extradition of Millan Radoičić to the authorities of Kosovo, where the Prosecution already has a 160-page indictment against him and his group of over forty individuals.
On the other hand, we insisted that the discussion should not only be about the dialogue, but whenever the dialogue is mentioned, the Basic Agreement should also be mentioned. We have an agreement with Serbia, which also includes an Implementation Annex from Ohrid. The Basic Agreement is a significant achievement, it must be respected and implemented, and the signature itself serves as a guarantee for this.
And of course, we also discussed the recent attack that occurred in Kosovo, the explosion of the Ibër-Lepenc channel in Zubin Potok, Kosovo. In this instance, there was a risk that more than half of the population of our country, namely the civilian population, would be left without water and electricity.
We have had exceptionally professional work from our state bodies and have managed to rectify the damage, but we must also take additional measures to ensure that nothing similar is repeated.
An investigation is being conducted regarding this matter. There are individuals who have been arrested, and materials have been confiscated, including weapons and ammunition, with emphasis on the fact that out of the 74 insignias/emblems that were confiscated, twenty of them are Russian, from various Russian units, while the others are generally Serbian. There is also a KLA emblem there, which leads us to think that someone wanted to direct any potential future investigation towards the wrong path, or as it is called today by NATO, a ‘false flag operation’, because there is no other explanation for that KLA emblem there, but there are twenty Russian emblems among the 74 present.
We seek the support of international stakeholders to assist us in this regard. Kosovo has no dilemmas; integration into the European Union and NATO is without alternative, because we do not wish to have an alternative and desire for this process to be expedited.
We will also have dinner with President Antonio Costa and with the other leaders of the Balkans. It is very good that Mrs. Kallas, Vice President of the European Commission and responsible for Foreign and Security Policy, has immediately shown interest in the Western Balkans issue and the relations between Kosovo and Serbia, which need to be normalized with that Basic Agreement, which at its core has at least the de facto recognition.
Question: Did Ms. Kallas disclose her ideas on how she envisions the continuation of the dialogue process?
Prime Minister Kurti: Today’s meeting seems to have been more about listening to us; it will also listen to others from the region, and there is no doubt that in the coming year it will intensify the process for peace and security, for integration and development, naturally by also working with her team. What form this content will take is difficult to ascertain at this time. However, this meeting was an informative one regarding her new role, in a situation where she wishes to demonstrate her commitment to the Western Balkans as early as the second or third day of her work. This is naturally a positive and hopeful sign for our country, which has high expectations from Ms. Kallas, but also for the entire region and its leaders, who are democratic and peace-loving.
Question: Twice in one year or less, the European Union has characterized the attacks on Kosovo as terrorist attacks. Recently, an act of sabotage has also been added. Considering that the structures have been changed, the previous structure did not have the political will to proceed further with potential consequences for Serbia. What is the sentiment today regarding the new official in European foreign policy?
Prime Minister Kurti: This depends greatly on the dynamics of the 27 countries, but what I hope for is that the European Commission in this second term of President Ursula von der Leyen will resemble the European Parliament more than the European Council, where, as we have seen, one or two states can impose a veto and cause everyone to be left behind. Consensus as a value is not intended as a right of veto, but is conceived as an approach and stance to ensure that no one is left behind, rather than leaving everyone behind. Therefore, I wish and believe that the European Commission, in this second term of President von der Leyen, will be more of a leading commission rather than a managing one, and in this way, they will save and advance the entire continent to which we belong.
We cannot change geography or history, but we can and must change the future for the better, and for this, strong leadership from Brussels is required, for which the people of Kosovo are both grateful and contributive.
Question: In June, you presented some preconditions for meeting within the framework of the dialogue with your counterpart from Serbia. Do you now have the option to bypass these conditions, since someone else is taking over the dialogue engine?
Prime Minister Kurti: I have requested that Millan Radoičić be extradited to Kosovo. I have requested the withdrawal of the letter from the former Prime Minister, now the Speaker of the Assembly, Bërnabiq, in which she practically states that she does not recognize the territorial integrity of Kosovo, and for the agreement to be signed. I have not changed my stance, because Serbia has not changed. Therefore, it is not expected that changes will be made in Brussels; changes need to be made in Belgrade regarding the approach towards Kosovo, in order for me to reconsider my stance on the continuation of the dialogue, which I reiterate, should never be mentioned without mentioning the word that we have a Basic Agreement, but Serbia is violating it. The previous European Commission did not sound the alarm when violations occurred, and there was neither trust nor goodwill to implement the agreement they had accepted. Belgrade cannot say that it has not accepted the agreement, but they now wish to sabotage its implementation.
Last modified: December 9, 2024