Deputy PM: Kosovo has more exchanges with Greece than most EU countries

While Greece does not recognise Kosovo’s independence, political, economic and cultural exchanges with Greece are more than with the majority of EU members that have recognised it, Deputy Prime Minister Besnik Bislimi told Euractiv in an interview, adding that Pristina is aware of what it will take for Athens to take the recognition step.

He also spoke on the rise of the right in the EU and US, stating Kosovo has no concerns as the country’s relations with its allies are stronger than politicians or changes brought about by elections.

Kosovo applied for EU membership in December 2022 and is hopeful for progress during the 2023 Belgian European Council Presidency after Spain’s, another non-recogniser, ends on 31 December.

Bislimi said there was not as much progress as hoped under the Spanish presidency but that there were hopes of the application moving from the Council to the Commission, under the Belgian presidency, set to start on 1 January.

Pressed on whether the Kosovar government has concerns about the Hungarian presidency due to their closeness to Serbia and Russia, which both oppose Kosovo’s independence, he said there were none.

This was due to local and international diplomatic support and strong ties between the two countries in multiple areas.

As it currently stands, Kosovo’s accession to the EU would be hampered by the non-recognition of Spain, Slovakia, Cyprus, Greece, and Romania, each with different reservations, mainly based on territorial or independence disputes.

But in the last year, bilateral relations with Greece have gone from strength to strength. Greece has a UNMIK-accredited Liaison Office in Pristina, while Athens has a Kosovo Economic and Commercial Affairs Office. In 2021, it was upgraded to an Office of Interest, and while it cannot fly the Kosovo flag outside, it can issue visas. Athens also recognises Kosovo-issued passports, a step other non-recognisers are yet to take.

In addition, in March of this year, the Greek foreign minister at the time, Nikos Dendias, visited Kosovo for the sixth time, meeting with Kosovar President Vjosa Osmani.

Asked whether Greece could be first over the line regarding recognition, Bislimi said, “We understand that five EU non-recognisers have five specific situations within them, and this is why we cannot use the same medicine or the same approach for all of them.”

He added, “But the situation with Greece is particular because we have more exchange, political, economic, and cultural with Greece than with most EU members that have recognised Kosovo.

Bislimi noted there is no foreign minister in Europe that has visited Kosovo more often than that of Greece.

He also clarified that Kosovo knows well what it will take for Greece to take the next step and recognise its independence, declared unilaterally in 2008 following the 1998-1999 Serbia-Kosovo war.

The deputy prime minister also said that when the EU proposed the basic agreement on the normalisation of relations to Pristina, it was done so on the premise it would solve 99% of outstanding issues and “the main outcome was supposed to be the removal of this barrier, which comes from the five non-recognisers.”

But Bislimi said their recognition should not be an “output” of the normalisation process with Serbia, it should be an “input.”

“If you keep progress with non-recognisers as the output of the process you make progress impossible and it will be irrational for Serbia to be constructive in the dialogue if they know it will come at a high cost for them.”

Bislimi was clear that high-level diplomatic efforts continue between Kosovo, recognisers and non-recognisers, but that the minimum expected move is Serbia taking that step, as outlined in various EU agreements.

“If Serbia recognises Kosovo passports, Spain cannot say no, we do not want to recogniser Kosovo’s passports. If Serbia says, I will sign an agreement where Kosovo and Serbia see itself as two equal parties, Slovakia cannot say no,” he said.

No concerns over possible Trump comeback

Looking ahead to the 2024 EU elections, the rise of the right across the continent, and a possible Trump win in the US, Bislimi is not concerned.

On a European level, he said Kosovo would work with the governments that the people of that respective country choose and that any distinction of left vs right would be “destructive”.

As for US policy, Bislimi said the approach towards Kosovo “is not necessarily a product of the preferences of individuals, it is ingrained in the history of the US and cannot be changed.”

In a recent TV interview, Serbian President Aleksander Vucic said he is waiting for Trump’s return to create a favourable situation in the Western Balkans and for Serbia. He mentioned that Azerbaijan “waited 27 years” for such a situation to take Nagorno-Karabakh back, adding Serbia must “survive” until after elections in 2024.

Believing that politicians come and go, but the underlying approach remains the same, he conceded that some individuals, such as former US envoy to Kosovo during the Trump era, Richard Grennell, can cause harm.

Grenell, who recently came under fire for accusing a Kosovar woman who was raped by Serbian troops as a child, a liar, was ostracised in diplomatic circles and accused of a colonial mentality. He continues to vocally criticise Kosovo and its government, leading to perceptions he is a Serbian lobbyist or favours Belgrade.

But despite the harm these people can cause, “it does not influence the long-term alliance between Kosovo and the US.”

“The US remains the strongest partner we have internationally, and this will not change with the next elections,” Bislimi said.

(Alice Taylor | Euractiv.com)