{"id":1269,"date":"2023-02-14T13:59:44","date_gmt":"2023-02-14T12:59:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sbunker.org\/?p=1269"},"modified":"2024-10-28T17:08:24","modified_gmt":"2024-10-28T15:08:24","slug":"qeveria-e-kurtit-po-i-zbeh-shpresat-per-nje-politike-te-jashtme-te-mirefillte","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sbunker.org\/en\/analize\/qeveria-e-kurtit-po-i-zbeh-shpresat-per-nje-politike-te-jashtme-te-mirefillte\/","title":{"rendered":"Kurti\u2019s Government is Diminishing the Hopes for a Proper Foreign Policy"},"content":{"rendered":"

During\u00a0the\u00a0first year<\/a>\u00a0of Kurti\u2019s government, Kosovo did not have any breakthroughs in international affairs, failed to achieve any concrete outcomes and was subject to numerous scandals and protocol failures, revealing an urgent need for a new approach.<\/p>\n

In the second year, the government\u00a0requested<\/a>\u00a0NATO membership due to the new geopolitical reality caused by the war in Ukraine. Furthermore, Kosovo applied for membership in the Council of Europe in May and for EU membership in December 2022.<\/p>\n

However, membership in these organizations remains a tough assignment considering the lack of progress on the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue and the lack of recognition from the remaining five EU member states.<\/p>\n

During the second year of the Kurti government, Kosovo did not gain any new state recognitions, no membership in international organizations, no visa liberalization, and most critically, Kosovo witnessed a deteriorating relationship with its key allies.<\/p>\n

An unfit foreign minister<\/strong><\/p>\n

Kosovo\u2019s foreign policy has been one of the weaker links of the Kurti government, if not the weakest.<\/p>\n

Kosovo\u2019s foreign minister, Donika Gervalla-Schwarz, has proved to be unfit to cope with the complexities required for a country looking for new state recognitions and membership in international organizations.<\/p>\n

Gervalla\u2019s most recent scandal is related to the bombing incident in Poland in November 2022, when\u00a0rockets killed two civilians<\/a>. On the eve of the incident, Poland and NATO member states refrained from making comments to confirm what happened and called for an emergency meeting.<\/p>\n

However, Gervalla did not wait to comment on the issue and\u00a0tweeted the following<\/a>: \u201cThe EU has to act much more determined to stop Putin before he and his proxies bring war over the whole continent.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kosovo\u2019s foreign minister jumped to conclusions without official confirmation of what occurred in Poland and indirectly called for a military confrontation against Russia.<\/p>\n

A one-man show<\/strong><\/p>\n

To avoid further diplomatic gaffes, PM Kurti has essentially put Foreign Minister Gervalla on the sidelines and has taken the wheel to represent Kosovo\u2019s interests abroad, running the show primarily by himself, and at times, having President Vjosa Osmani serve as a second-party validation.<\/p>\n

Over the last couple of months, PM Kurti and President Osmani have appeared on prominent international media outlets to express their opinions about regional politics pertaining to the Balkans and international politics dealing with the war in Ukraine and Russian influence.<\/p>\n

Amid Kosovo\u2019s booming artistic and cultural scene, with many festivals taking place, such as Dokufest Film Festival and Manifesta Biennial, Kurti made the\u00a0headlines<\/a>\u00a0of international media outlets stating that Kosovo is at risk of war with Serbia.<\/p>\n

Kurti\u2019s rhetoric is damaging the country\u2019s already minimal progress and has proved dangerous not only for Kosovo\u2019s image as a country but also for its bilateral relationship with key allies.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/div>\n

Kurti\u2019s idiosyncratic behavior<\/strong><\/p>\n

In November 2022, the Kosovo government went on with its plan to finally replace illegal vehicle license plates in northern Kosovo with official Kosovo plates. In response, hundreds of Kosovo Serbs from the police, judiciary and other institutions\u00a0resigned.<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Kurti had initially postponed the decision until November 21, but then later stated that he would implement it, despite numerous calls from the West to postpone it for a few more months.<\/p>\n

On November 21, the EU\u2019s foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, invited Kurti and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic to Brussels to find a solution to the license plate issue. Following the all-day meeting, Borrell delivered a harsh statement on Kosovo.<\/p>\n

\u201cI will inform member states\u2026about the behavior of different parties, and the lack of respect for international legal obligations, and I have to say this in particular for Kosovo. I know, this sends a very negative political signal,\u201d\u00a0deklaroi<\/a>\u00a0Borrell.<\/p>\n

Borrell further stated: \u201cFor the sake of transparency, I have to say we put forward a proposal that could have avoided this risky situation, which President Vucic accepted today, but Prime Minister Kurti did not.\u201d<\/p>\n

Following Borrell\u2019s statement, Kurti\u00a0accused Borrell<\/a>\u00a0of giving up on the normalization of relations between Kosovo and Serbia, whereas President Osmani went on to\u00a0lecture Borrell<\/a>\u00a0on Facebook on how to do his job.<\/p>\n

The deal over license plates was finally reached after two days. Serbia agreed to stop issuing license plates with Kosovo city denominations, whereas Kosovo agreed to cease actions regarding re-registration. However, Kosovo\u2019s relationship with its allies keeps deteriorating mainly due to Kurti\u2019s clumsy clashes and his idiosyncratic behavior.<\/p>\n

A deteriorated relationship with the key ally<\/strong><\/p>\n

For decades, Kosovo has relied on help and support from its staunch ally, the United States. However, since Kurti came to power, this relationship has dwindled. The Kurti government has denied such allegations claiming that the Kosovo-U.S. relationship remains solid.<\/p>\n

However, a\u00a0leaked report<\/a>\u00a0reveals a different picture. In the report, Ambassador Ilir Dugolli states that the treatment of the Kosovo Embassy from the host country [U.S.] is \u201cbrutal.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dugolli states that it has been impossible to arrange meetings on the state level. Furthermore, he says there have been attempts from Kosovo to improve the bilateral relationship with the U.S. and set an official framework for cooperation, but due to recent political developments [in Kosovo], the response from the U.S. administration \u201chas been more negative than usual.\u201d<\/p>\n

This report should alarm the Kurti government. Kosovo cannot afford to deteriorate its relationship with the U.S., the country that can have the most significant impact in helping Kosovo achieve its Euro-Atlantic aspirations.<\/p>\n

Kosovo\u2019s foreign service involved in a financial scandal<\/strong><\/p>\n

The most severe diplomatic scandal in 2022 involved Kosovo\u2019s ambassador to Croatia, Martin Berishaj, who was allegedly involved in a money laundering scandal in Slovenia.<\/p>\n

Ambassador Berishaj was reported to have transferred about\u00a0600,000 euros<\/a>\u00a0from his company MB Consulting bank account in Montenegro to Slovenian politician Robert Golob, chairman of the Freedom Party. Furthermore, Berishaj didn\u2019t declare in his property form (as is required by Kosovo law) that he is the owner of MB Consulting based in Montenegro.<\/p>\n

Kosovo\u2019s Anti-Corruption Agency\u00a0submitted a criminal complaint<\/a>\u00a0against Ambassador Martin Berishaj in August 2022.<\/p>\n

Ambassador Berishaj has denied the allegations and Minister Gervalla did not take any disciplinary measures, stating that\u00a0she trusts<\/a>\u00a0the ambassador. Similarly, Prime Minister Kurti and President Osmani have shown undivided support for Ambassador Berishaj.<\/p>\n

It remains unclear why the Kurti government has decided to fully support an ambassador dealing with serious accusations and threatening to damage Kosovo\u2019s diplomatic efforts.<\/p>\n

Lack of coordination among government officials<\/strong><\/p>\n

Around September 2022, news started circulating about a \u201cFranco-German proposal\u201d that would present a new framework for the normalization of relations between Kosovo and Serbia. The draft proposal was leaked by\u00a0Euractiv<\/a>\u00a0two months later, but the document\u2019s authenticity was never confirmed.<\/p>\n

Initially, Kosovo\u2019s First Deputy PM, Besnik Bislimi,\u00a0stated<\/a>\u00a0that \u201cthe Franco-German proposal is closer to Serbia's position.\u201d<\/p>\n

PM Kurti, however,\u00a0said<\/a> the following at a press conference: \u201cThe Franco-German proposal is a step in the right direction.\u201d<\/p>\n

Such opposing statements by top officials from the Kosovo government highlight a serious lack of strategy and coordination in dealing with Kosovo\u2019s national security.<\/p>\n

Kosovo is in a difficult position internationally. Further progress to consolidate Kosovo\u2019s international legitimacy is closely linked to a well-designed strategy in collaboration with allies and supporters.<\/p>\n

Kosovo could do more to achieve progress on the international stage and strengthen its international legitimacy. The prerequisite is coordination among government officials and institutions, close cooperation with Kosovo\u2019s key allies and supporters, and the appointment of a foreign minister who is qualified to do the job.<\/p>\n

Illustrations by: Big Eye<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Gjat\u00eb\u00a0vitit t\u00eb par\u00eb\u00a0t\u00eb qeverisjes s\u00eb Kurtit, Kosova nuk pati ndonj\u00eb p\u00ebrparim t\u00eb duksh\u00ebm n\u00eb marr\u00ebdh\u00ebniet nd\u00ebrkomb\u00ebtare, nuk arriti ndonj\u00eb rezultat konkret dhe pati skandale e d\u00ebshtime t\u00eb shumta protokollare, duke v\u00ebn\u00eb n\u00eb pah nj\u00eb nevoj\u00eb urgjente p\u00ebr nj\u00eb qasje t\u00eb re. N\u00eb vitin e dyt\u00eb, Qeveria\u00a0k\u00ebrkoi\u00a0an\u00ebtar\u00ebsimin n\u00eb NATO si pasoj\u00eb e realitetit t\u00eb ri gjeopolitik […]<\/p>","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":1271,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[677,687,664],"ppma_author":[20],"class_list":["post-1269","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-analize","tag-albin-kurti","tag-foreign-policy","tag-kosovo"],"authors":[{"term_id":20,"user_id":4,"is_guest":0,"slug":"visar","display_name":"Visar Xhambazi","avatar_url":{"url":"https:\/\/sbunker.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Visar-Xhambazi_Headshot-scaled-1-e1778848717235.jpg","url2x":"https:\/\/sbunker.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Visar-Xhambazi_Headshot-scaled-1-e1778848717235.jpg"},"user_url":"","last_name":"Xhambazi","first_name":"Visar","description":""}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sbunker.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1269","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sbunker.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sbunker.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sbunker.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sbunker.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1269"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/sbunker.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1269\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9242,"href":"https:\/\/sbunker.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1269\/revisions\/9242"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sbunker.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1271"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sbunker.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1269"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sbunker.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1269"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sbunker.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1269"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sbunker.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=1269"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}