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The chairman of the Vetëvendosje Movement, Albin Kurti, expressed his conviction that his government will have enough votes in the Assembly without the need for a post-election coalition. He says he can get votes from non-Serb MPs as well as from any other opposition MP.
In an interview with the Bulgarian News Agency (BTA), Kurti also spoke about dialogue, saying that a new chapter would be opened with Serbia through a sincere dialogue. He reiterated that dialogue will be the fourth priority after employment, justice and the COVID-19 pandemic.
Regarding European Union integration, Kurti said he would work with five countries that have not recognized Kosovo, such as Spain, Slovakia, Romania, Greece and Cyprus, to change their minds about Kosovo’s independence.
Full interview:
BTA: Who would be a potential partner if there was a need for a governing coalition?
Albin Kurti: We have already made the coalition before the elections, and this pre-election coalition which we have created with the list of President Vjosa Osmani, which has made these early elections turn into a referendum of the people, where we won with a stream of votes. As a result, we do not see any other party from the “old guard” or “Ancien Régime” as we prefer to call them, as a future partner of our government. Consequently, if with 50 percent of the vote, we do not have 61 MPs due to the 20 seats reserved for minorities, we plan to get MPs from non-Serb minorities, and maybe some members of parliament from the opposition who will simply wanted to represent the people who voted for them, regardless of the parties to which they belong. I am convinced that our government will have the majority, without having to enter into any kind of negotiations with those who have been defeated by our joint list.
BTA: What are some of the main problems in Kosovo that you intend to solve, and what steps will you take to solve them?
Albin Kurti: Despite the region, age, or nationality in Kosovo, people agree that there are two unresolved issues: employment and justice. So, we plan to have labor-intensive investments to raise the level of employment, especially among young people and women, and on the other hand, we plan to fight corruption and crime, and bring law and order and create the Development Bank for lower interest rates and increase grace periods, in order to have more investment, higher level of employment, more production, more exports, less imports, and thus get out of this multiple crisis in a railroad of socio-economic progress. We ran and won with the employment and justice ticket.
BTA: What is your perspective on the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia, and what is the proposal of the new government for the continuation of this dialogue?
Albin Kurti: These are the days when we celebrate the 13th anniversary of the declaration of independence, and we have noticed that in every poll, in every questionnaire, public opinion, local or international, dialogue with Serbia is the number six or seven priority. We will make a concession and make it the number four priority after employment, justice and the Covid-19 pandemic. We will open a new chapter with Serbia through a sincere dialogue based on reciprocity and equality, where both sides will unveil the preliminary agreements of these six years of dialogue in Brussels where Belgrade says we have 47 agreements, while we insist that we have only 33 of them, some of which will be partially implemented, some fully, and some will not be implemented at all. However, it will not be easy, but I hope that we will be able to establish a new dialogue under the auspices of Brussels and with the help of the United States. We want to turn the transactional approach of former President Trump into a transatlantic approach, given that the normalization of relations between Kosovo and Serbia should normalize Serbia itself and at the same time Kosovo. We need development. Serbia must face its past; they declare four wars in the former yugoslavia, and need to be democratized. I believe that the normalization of relations between Kosovo and Serbia should not be done at the expense of the normalization of these separate units, namely Serbia and Kosovo.
BTA: How do you see Kosovo’s integration into the European Union?
Albin Kurti: Kosovo’s integration into the European Union is a process that is progressing very slowly. This is because on the one hand, we still do not have visa liberalization, although we have met all the criteria. On the other hand, we have five non-recognizing countries: Spain, Slovakia, Romania, Greece and Cyprus. I plan to work with these countries and convince them that they should not be afraid of Kosovo’s independence and recognition, and that they should not compare themselves to Serbia, which committed genocide in the spring of 1999 in Kosovo. Kosovo’s integration into the EU is something that all people in Kosovo want, but I also know that we will not join the EU, but by ourselves and within ourselves, we will create European values and standards. The Western Balkans Six, not yet integrated into the EU, are not merely EU neighbors, as we are surrounded by the EU, and all six should be included as soon as possible. The Balkans and the EU are very important to each other.
BTA: What do you think is Bulgaria’s role in Kosovo’s EU integration?
Albin Kurti: Bulgaria is a close ally, and we believe we can learn a lot from Bulgaria when it comes to European Union integration. Our government will apply for candidate status, and I hope to work closely with Bulgaria, as when it comes to European integration, but also against our bilateral relations, because I think in terms of economic and cultural cooperation, we can share and exchange much more than so far. We belong to Southeast Europe, we have a common history, and I believe we share common goals and interests./KosovaPress/
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