The Prime Minister of the Republic of Kosovo, Albin Kurti in an interview given to the Swiss television Blick TV, spoke about the latest developments regarding the Russian invasion and military aggression against Ukraine.
The last war took place in the Balkans about 20 years ago, so the Russian occupation of Ukraine is shocking, especially to the young state of Kosovo. Will the conflict with Serbia start again, the Prime Minister of Kosovo, Mr. Albin Kurti, speaks of the fear of his people. Now on the show “The boss asks here”.
Moderator: We are now connecting with the Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, in Prishtina. Good evening!
Prime Minister Kurti: Good evening!
Journalist: Prime Minister, what comes to your mind when you see the scenes of the war in Ukraine?
Prime Minister Kurti: I am at the same time shocked, but not surprised because the Russian Federation, more precisely the Kremlin, have warned that this invasion by Russia – this military aggression – will occur and upon the gathering of troops on the eastern border of Ukraine we knew that their army will march against the people of Ukraine. From the beginning we have condemned this invasion and expressed our admiration, solidarity, sympathy and empathy with the struggle for freedom of the people of Ukraine and President Zelenski. Therefore, we hope for the best and at the same time join the sanctions that the EU and the US have imposed on the Russian Federation.
Journalist: Kosovo experienced the war 20 years ago, what old wounds are opened again when you see this war now?
Albin Kurti: It was exactly the spring of 1998 and then again in 1999 when countless massacres took place, hundreds of them, all over Kosovo and a total of 12,000 thousand unarmed civilians were killed. 860 thousand citizens fled Kosovo, over 1 million people had fled their homes – approximately 80% of the population at that time could not live in their homes due to aggression by the Serbian army. 20,000 women were raped, 120,000 houses were destroyed, damaged or burned down, and in these difficult circumstances we nevertheless fought for freedom, a war which was also aided by NATO bombing of Milosevic’s Yugoslavia. That is why what we see today in Ukraine – the aggression of a war machine against a nation – we experienced in our lives 23 years ago.
Journalist: There are also fears that the war will spread to the Balkans and Kosovo. Where does this fear come from?
Prime Minister Kurti: This fear stems from two main factors. The first factor is Serbia, which has very close ties with the Russian Federation. For example, in 2012 there were two joint military activities, in 2016 there were 50 military activities and last year there were 100 joint military activities between Serbia and the Russian Federation. They have 14 Mig-29s which they have received as a donation from Belarus and the Russian Federation. We joined the West in imposing sanctions on the Russian Federation in 2014 when Crimea and Donbask were annexed – something Serbia failed to do and to condemn or impose sanctions on the Russian Federation. Out of 250 MP in the Serbian Parliament, 151 are members of the Serbia-Russia friendship group. The second factor is the Kremlin itself, President Putin, the despotic president Putin, who believes that in order to be able to sit down and negotiate with President Biden, at a Yalta-type conference, he wants to expand the war to another country. I believe that the Western Balkans is the place where he will seek to cause various unrest, using different factors and actors, but most of them in one way or another related to official Belgrade. If the Kremlin were to set up another battlefield in any region of the world, then it would have to allocate some of its military power, but in the Balkans, unfortunately, they may see transfer to Serbia, our northern neighbor, as added value to their war machine. Serbia does not recognize our Republic, nor has it shown any remorse or recognition for the crimes committed during the war in the past.
Journalist: So, the people of Kosovo fear Russia at the moment, that there may indeed be some incident, even war in your country.
Prime Minister Kurti: The danger exists. We are not afraid, but we are very alert. Serbia has 42 operational bases around the border with Kosovo. But even though we are not in NATO, and we want to join the Partnership for Peace program and the Council of Europe, and yet we have NATO inside Kosovo, and we have the EU in Kosovo and together with our western partners, as the most democratic country in the Western Balkans, we have hope for the future.
Journalist: Serbia certainly has closer relations with Russia, but why should Serbia be interested in an escalation with Kosovo?
Prime Minister Kurti: Serbia, like Russia, is not a democratic country. It is an autocracy. President Putin has had a lot of power for a long time. I think it is a similar situation with President Vucic. From Gorbachev to Yeltsin, it could be said that this was the Russian version of the Weimar Republic, and then Putin came to power. In Serbia, from the assassinated former Prime Minister Djindjic to Boris Tadic, this was the Serbian version of the Weimar Republic, and then Vucic came to power. There are many similarities between these two countries. I believe that the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the former Yugoslavia, although not similar in character, has very similar consequences. In the case of the Russian Federation, we have a large octopus. Russian Federation with Belarus, Donbas in Crimea, Transnistria, South Ossetia and Abkhazia, and so on, in the case of the former Yugoslavia we have Serbia with Republika Srpska in Bosnia and Herzegovina, then the Serbian parties in Montenegro, the illegal structures in Kosovo and so on, which is like a small quadrop. And I have to say that there are a lot of similarities and close links in both the hardware and the software, if I may say so, of these two states.
Journalist: And you are in the middle of it all. And last week in Prishtina, you were visited by the German Foreign Minister, Annalena Baerbock, who is also concerned about national trends. She is also warning of destabilization in the region. What did you discuss with her? How can she help you?
Prime Minister Kurti: She has had very clear positions on what is good and what is bad, what is right and what is wrong with regard to the sixth region of the Western Balkans, and I look forward to cooperating with Germany because it is a very important EU country. And we have over four hundred thousand Kosovo Albanians in Germany. It is probably the only country in Continental Europe where we have more Albanians than in Switzerland. And we expect to use this as a bridge for Kosovo’s economic development. Last year was a great year. Economic growth was 9.9% of our GDP. Exports increased by two-thirds, foreign direct investment by 55%, business turnover by 30% and tax revenues by one third, without changing fiscal policy, because when people are hopeful, they spend instead of saving, and when they see that the government is uncorrupted, they are more willing to pay taxes. Therefore, we look forward to working closely with Germany, not only in terms of security and defense, because Germany is a very important pillar of both the EU and NATO, but at the same time in terms of so much needed economic development.
Journalist: Your country wants to be a member of the EU and also a member of NATO. How realistic is that?
Prime Minister Kurti: I believe, it is realistic to expect that old methods, common methods, may not be the best in these emergency situations. With the inclusion of the Western Balkans 6 in the EU, the EU’s external border would shrink by three thousand kilometers. So, in terms of security, it is much better to include the Western Balkans 6. You know that these six countries, in terms of population, are like the Netherlands, eighteen million inhabitants. In terms of GDP, it is like Slovakia. The Western Balkans 6 combined, which have not yet integrated into the EU, have their GDP below 40% of the Czech Republic, such as Slovakia, or below 50% of North Rhine-Westphalia. Therefore, it is important to give a chance to the Western Balkans 6, and in particular to Kosovo, which is the most democratic country, with political stability and internal progress. We will apply for EU membership this year, and it would be very important to include Kosovo in both the Council of Europe and NATO’s Partnership for Peace program.
Journalist: One problem is that even some EU countries do not recognize Kosovo as an independent state, such as Greece, Spain, Cyprus. How do you plan to change this?
Prime Minister Kurti: We are intensifying contacts with five non-recognizing countries, four of which are also in NATO, Spain, Slovakia, Greece, Romania, plus Cyprus which is in the EU but not in NATO. I hope that this is the year when they should take substantial steps towards the recognition of an independent Kosovo and join the rest of the EU and NATO members, comprising the vast majority. Kosovo participated in the military exercise “DEFENDER-Europe 21” from March to June last year, with 330 soldiers and we were among the 16 host countries, while, for example, Serbia participated in the military exercise “Slavic Shield” together with the Russian Federation in mid-October last year.
Journalist: In order to be an EU member, a country must have a functioning democracy, free media, fight against corruption, and Kosovo is not really a model to be followed in this regard. How do you want to change that?
Prime Minister Kurti: Kosovo is a model to follow, with this last year of the new government we have destroyed 50 criminal gangs in Kosovo, we have arrested over 230 state and public officials, we have confiscated over 1 ton of narcotics and thus Kosovo is at the forefront of fight against organized crime and criminality. We rely heavily on the rule of law and justice as something we cannot compromise on, and at the same time, we also rely on one of US President Joe Biden’s theses that crime and corruption pose a threat to national security. This is why we are the hope in which everyone should invest. Employment and justice were the promise with which we won the elections a year ago and during this year we have provided 24 thousand new jobs for the citizens of Kosovo.
Journalist: In terms of the European aspect, Serbia is already one step ahead of you and a candidate for membership in the European Union. Could this European aspect be the solution between the two countries, because that is the common goal?
Prime Minister Kurti: I believe that for the Western Balkans six we should use the EFTA-EEA model, similar to that of Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland and Iceland as a contractual relationship with the EU, a “wave that would lift all six boats” of this region, namely Kosovo, Albania, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia and Serbia, where Brussels would have a key role, and would be a supervisory authority, there would be a joint council or commission, a common court, and in this way, within a few years, we can all reach the EU. But, for this purpose, Serbia must recognize Kosovo, we must have mutual recognition, and at the same time they must face their past. They should distance themselves from Milosevic rather than lay fresh flowers near Milosevic’s grave as did a week ago the Serbian Minister of Internal Affairs. I believe that it is very important to face the past and the EU should no longer give money to Belgrade without accepting the values of the EU. Therefore, Belgrade’s formula of EU funds and Russian weapons must come to an end. They must adhere to EU values in order to receive funding from the EU.
Journalist: And at the moment, Serbia flirts a lot with Russia and Putin?
Prime Minister Kurti: Yes. And they have blackmailed Brussels in the sense that if it is not done as we say, then we can go with the Russian Federation and sometimes even with China. For example, unlike Kosovo which has not received any vaccine from the Russian Federation and China, only those verified by the European EMA and the US FDA. And today we are in charge of managing the COVID-19 pandemic with the lowest death rate and the highest vaccination rate. Serbia went immediately with the Russian Federation and China since earlier. So, I think Brussels is probably in trouble with the Kremlin because they have nuclear weapons, but when it comes to Belgrade, they have to be really determined and principled.
Journalist: Prime Minister, about 10% of your population lives in Switzerland. We have a large Albanian diaspora. How important is money from Switzerland?
Prime Minister Kurti: 62% of remittances coming to our country are from Switzerland and Germany. There are many Albanians in Switzerland who are helping our economy by helping their families, but also by investing in Kosovo. As the new Prime Minister, I am the guarantee of the rule of law for all future investments. And I believe that Kosovar businessmen who are in Switzerland together with their Swiss colleagues in the business community can come to Kosovo and invest more. You know, Switzerland and Kosovo, we are both landlocked countries, but we have good mountains and wonderful people. I believe that the knowledge of our diaspora and at the same time, the close connection that exists between people is something we should utilize.
Journalist: About 200 Swiss soldiers are part of the KFOR international peacekeeping force in Kosovo and ensure stability in the country. How important are these bodies today?
Prime Minister Kurti: I would like to thank Switzerland both from the time of providing shelter to our dissidents in the seventies who were forced to flee the dictatorship in Serbia and Yugoslavia until today, the Swiss soldiers who help maintain lasting peace and stability and long-term security in Kosovo. I also want to thank Switzerland for all the development projects that are taking place in our country. And let me emphasize the name of a very important politician for us, Ms. Micheline Calmy-Rey, who brought up Kosovo’s independence much earlier than we declared it.
Journalist: It was in 2008, one of the first places, there is even a square named Micheline Calmy-Rey in Prishtina?
Prime Minister Kurti: Yes, we really appreciate it and always welcome her. So I am inviting her directly to come and visit us.
Journalist: We will broadcast it. But let’s return to the Swiss army, the Swiss parliament will have to decide on an extension of the KFOR mission. How important is it in the years to come and will it last forever?
Prime Minister Kurti: It is very important. I think it is important at the moment to have more Swiss troops in our country, because in this way, we can make Serbia and Russia think twice about doing any harm to our country. And during these two decades, we have not had a single incident with any Swiss soldier, people welcome Swiss soldiers and we greatly appreciate their role and commitment. Therefore, on the Kosovo side I can assure you that they are welcome and we need them right now, in these geopolitical turmoil that our continent is going through.
Journalist: Prime Minister, in these difficult times, what are your wishes for the coming weeks and months?
Prime Minister Kurti: It is very important to have the highest possible solidarity of the democratic western world, we must use all our means to help the Ukrainian people. For example, in Kosovo we have shown readiness to receive 20 journalists from Ukraine and up to 5000 refugees. We have previously received over 1400 Afghan refugees, 10% of whom are still in Kosovo. So we have to help people. We must help the national liberation war, because unfortunately President Putin is not leaving himself no way out and has become a leader of a war which he chose himself. He started this war without being provoked, in a completely unjustifiable way and I think that if we do not use this momentum for the active unity of the democratic world, then not only us, but also our children and grandchildren will pay a heavy cost of our inactivity or lack of union.
Journalist: The Prime Minister of Kosovo Albin Kurti from Prishtina. Thank you very much.
Prime Minister Kurti: Thank you for the invitation.
Journalist: The most important personality for the most important topic here in the show “The boss asks here” every Thursday on Blick TV. Goodbye next week.
Last modified: August 11, 2022