Both Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti and Deputy Prime Minister Besnik Bislimi were absent from an informal gathering of regional leaders in Tirana on Monday, with the latter denying claims they were not invited or even refused entry.
The meeting included Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama, Foreign Minister Olta Xhacka, and the prime ministers of Serbia, North Macedonia, and Montenegro and took place in Villa 30, a government building in the centre of Tirana. EU Commissioner for Enlargement and Neighbourhood Oliver Varhelyi also partook in the meeting, reportedly to discuss the upcoming Berlin Summit meeting scheduled to take place in the city in October.
But Kosovo was not represented, and several local media claimed that the Kosovo delegation was not invited, something denied by Bislimi’s spokesperson.
“Yesterday’s news about Deputy Prime Minister Bislimi’s participation in the informal meeting in Tirana is not true. It was not planned, let alone confirmed. Since there was no confirmation from Deputy Prime Minister Bislimi, then it was not even possible to refuse his participation or his presence,” the spokesperson said in a statement.
Therefore, even the reports from some Albanian media regarding the rejection are nothing but speculation and being such. We can only speculate about its origin,” the spokesperson said.
The speculation arose amid strained relations between the ethnic Albanian neighbours as Kurti refused to meet Rama 10 days ago in Pristina. After stating the Open Balkan initiative had fulfilled its purpose and the focus was now on the Berlin Process, Rama conducted a tour of the region’s countries to meet with leaders.
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But Kurti refused the meeting, asking instead that Rama meet to sign the agreements that should have been signed at the end of June, but was not after Rama cancelled the meeting due to looming EU sanctions.
Kosovo faced a raft of measures from the EU over what Brussels say is a failure to properly diffuse tensions with Serbs in the north.
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But this had nothing to do with Monday’s no-show, and government spokesperson Preparim Kryeziu added that Kurti has told Rama “he will not be able to go this time, since months ago he confirmed his participation in a conference in Crete, Greece.”
However, opposition figures in Kosovo criticised Kurti’s non-participation with the former Ambassador to the US and Vice President of the PDK, Vlora Citaku, calling it childish and stating that today was an important meeting,
“Childish and politically irresponsible behaviour of Prime Minister Kurti. How could a conference on the beautiful islands of Greece be more important than a meeting with the leaders of the region and the European Commission in Tirana?! Prime Minister Edi Rama did not invite you to a family wedding, but to a meeting with the region’s leaders, within the framework of the Berlin process,” she wrote on Facebook.
The Head of the AKR, Behgjet Pacolli, also criticised Kurti’s absence.
“Kosovo’s non-participation in the preparatory meeting of the Berlin Summit, regardless of whose fault it is, that it is now chaired by Albania, is the worst news that can happen to Kosovo. This initiative focuses on the fastest possible integration of the region into the EU and that there have been many concessions for Kosovo, taking into account that Serbia has always been rejecting the participation of Kosovo,” he said, noting that Kosovo not taking part “makes Serbia very happy”.
Kurti has faced criticism at home amid the country’s ongoing issues with Serbia and a tough stance from the EU and US. This culminated in a physical brawl in parliament on Thursday.
As Kurti was addressing the leak of a wiretapped conversation between the head of Kurti’s Vetvendosje Mimoza Kusari-Lila, and the head of the Serbian List, Milan Radoicic, who is wanted by Pristina authorities, opposition lawmaker Mergim Lushtaku threw water at Kurti and Bilsimi. This resulted in a swarm of deputies, security, and police engaging in a physical altercation, including pushing, hitting and punching.
Meanwhile, Rama posted on Facebook following the meeting, stating they discussed the New Financial and Economic Support Plan of the EU for the Western Balkans, and posted a picture of all present leaders.
Addressing the matter of Kurti’s absence, he stated, “The plan will integrate with what we have. I don’t see any interest because they were all invited, whoever wanted came and whoever couldn’t didn’t come,” he said.
(Alice Taylor | Exit.al)
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