Some Serbian media and officials have spread unfounded speculations about the purpose of the joint session held on December 20, 2024, between the Assemblies of Kosovo and Albania. They have claimed that this gathering aimed at creating a "Greater Albania," a narrative that has been misinterpreted, ignoring the facts and the true intentions behind the event.
An article published on “Informer.rs”, a platform known for spreading disinformation, exemplifies this misinterpretation. On December 21, 2024, the portal shared an article titled: "Only the creation of the Serbian world can stop 'Greater Albania'! Vulin: If Vucic had made such a proposal, we would have been bombed immediately." The article asserts that the joint session between Kosovo and Albania was not merely a regular political meeting, but a manifestation against Serbia and Serbs.
The article includes a quote from Serbia’s Deputy Prime Minister, Aleksandar Vulin, who is sanctioned by the U.S., describing how a similar initiative, if proposed by Serbia, would have led to a military response from NATO, referring to its bombing. Vulin also refers to "Greater Albania" as a project supported by the West, aimed at creating a direct threat to Serbia.
"The European Union remains silent regarding Rama's call to dismantle the dialogue and also regarding the request to blame Serbia. The EU is silent about the creation of Greater Albania, not only because it is not against its creation but because 'Greater Albania' is a European project, just as the creation of Albania in 1912 was, the creation of the occupation zone, and the creation of the Ballist movement in 1941, the support for every separatism in Serbia, and in the end, the bombing of Serbia," said Vulin.
These comments are unfounded and have no connection to the reality of what happened in this session. On December 20, 2024, lawmakers from Kosovo and Albania held a joint parliamentary session in Prishtina, with the participation of Prime Ministers Albin Kurti and Edi Rama, as well as President Vjosa Osmani. Through a statement from both countries, they pledged to deepen cooperation in achieving strategic objectives.
According to the joint statement read by the Speaker of the Assembly of Kosovo, Glauk Konjufca, Kosovo and Albania committed to coordinating the "national agenda to achieve common strategic goals." However, nowhere in the statement is it mentioned that they are committed to the creation of a "Greater Albania," as misinterpreted by Serbian officials and media.
In this session, Rama also spoke about the obligations arising from the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue. He stated that Kosovo, by implementing the agreement regardless of Serbia's actions, must demonstrate to the international community that it is ready for integration. He also mentioned "national unity," but as two countries in the European Union. "...Not for the sake of Serbia, but for the sake of the martyrs and their children, and for the sake of our national unity in the family of European nations with our common capital, Brussels," said Edi Rama.
This is not the first time that Serbian media have speculated, without factual support, that Kosovo and Albania aim to create a "Greater Albania." Even the earlier decision by Kosovo and Albania to remove border controls was interpreted by some Serbian media as a project towards a "Greater Albania."
Claims that the joint meetings and decisions between Kosovo and Albania, as two independent states, are being presented as a supposed threat to Serbia have no basis and are attempts to undermine peace and regional integration.
*This article is published as part of the Western Balkans Regional Initiative against disinformation. “Western Balkans Anti-Disinformation Hub: exposing malign influences through watchdog journalism.”
