Kurti for “The Independent”: Balkans in danger, Kosovo urgently joins NATO

He told The Independent that just as Kosovo faced ethnic cleansing against Albanians at the hands of Yugoslav and Serbian forces in the 1990s, a similar destructive act is now taking place in Ukraine.

“This Russian invasion, this military aggression is no longer political. It is genocide. The genocidal intent that results in logistical and demographic aspects is seen“, Said Kurti.

“When I see what is happening in Kiev, it seems that this is another Sarajevo in preparation,He added.

Kurti visited London this week to redouble the country’s diplomatic efforts to join NATO.

The Transatlantic Military Alliance intervened in the Kosovo war in 1999, with an aerial bombardment of Serbian targets following the failure of international efforts to mediate peace.

After the invasion of Ukraine, Kurti expresses his concern that Kosovo could face an intermediate military conflict, as Russia exercises its political influence in Serbia.

His warnings come after a gathering of military forces on Kosovo’s northern border late last year, which included Russian-made tanks and MiG fighter jets.

“I think the Western Balkans are in even greater danger than the Baltic states and Moldova, because there Russia would have shared part of its military force. “In the case of the Western Balkans, they should not do this at all, because Serbia could be an added value to their military aggression,” Kurti said.

““We would like to join NATO as soon as possible.”, Kurti emphasized. He told The Independent that he insisted that NATO be much more vigilant than it already is.

“In Moscow we have a powerful leader who is narrowing his escape routes. He is not a person who seems willing to make peace, rather he will make efforts to expand the war. That is why we are in danger“, He added.

However, Kosovo can not achieve rapid NATO membership. While more than 100 countries have recognized Kosovo as an independent state, the four NATO member states have not. The country is also not a member of the UN, as a result of Russian opposition.

Kurti has demanded that, at the very least, NATO forces consider increasing the military presence in Kosovo.

Serbia has close ties with Russia and conducted joint military exercises with that country in October last year. Russia’s TASS news agency reported that Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said the two countries had held 96 joint exercises in 2019. Most of Serbia’s weapons are imported from Russia, according to the CIA World Factbook.

Regional analysts have also noted that the two countries’ energy infrastructure and companies are also closely linked, which could have detrimental effects on Serbia’s economy in the wake of harsh Western sanctions against Russia.

Kurti said that, since the end of last year, it seemed that Serbia, as “authorized” by Russia, was “ready to attack” on the northern border with Kosovo. Serbian troops at the border were inspected by Russian Ambassador to Belgrade Alexander Botsan-Kharchenko, along with senior Serbian politicians.

“When you are dealing with the Russian Federation and its representatives in the Western Balkans, you may be shocked, but never surprised, because all the time they give you evidence and not indications of their next attack.“, Said Kurti.

Amid the escalation of a license plate dispute, the EU and the US told Kosovo and Serbia to reduce tensions.

Kurti said the news chronicles showing Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko in front of a map of Ukraine were directly reminiscent of reports of meetings between Vucic and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The Russian government and President Vladimir Putin himself have compared the annexation of Crimea to the situation in Kosovo. Serbian news media RTV reported that Vucic claimed that he and Putin had discussed “hypocrisy in international relations” and using northern Kosovo as an example during which the Serbian politician “told him [zonën] on the map ”.

Serbia does not recognize Kosovo as an independent state and, unlike other European countries, has refused to impose sanctions on Russia on the eve of its invasion of Ukraine.

“Ata [Rusia] “They were the only country that did not impose sanctions on us in the 1990s,” Vucic said last week, according to a report by the Reuters news agency. He added that Russia had backed Serbia in its “territorial integrity in the United Nations” by refusing to recognize Kosovo’s independence. “We must not forget this,” Vucic said.

Vucic served as intelligence minister under Slobodan Milosevic, the first head of state to be tried for war crimes for his involvement in atrocities during the conflict in the Western Balkans.

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