The Deputy Chairman of the opposition party in Kosovo, the Democratic League of Kosovo, Lutfi Haziri criticized the Government of Kosovo for missing two moments created by the war in Ukraine and the Israel-Gaza conflict to put an end to its status issue with Serbia.

In an interview with Voice of America in Washington, Haziri said that the Government led by Prime Minister Albin Kurti has created daily crises for Kosovo’s international partners and has increased nationalist sentiments, influencing the country’s departure from its pro-European orientation.

He said that current leaders in Kosovo should return to close coordination with the United States, including on issues such as the decision to ban the circulation of the dinar, and stated that in this election year in European Union countries and the United States, after which it will be unclear how issues in the region will be handled, Kosovo must resolve open issues with Serbia to avoid remaining “a bargaining chip”.

The Deputy Chairman of the Democratic League of Kosovo said that 2023 was a “lost year” and that the moments created by the war in Ukraine and the Israel-Gaza conflict were not used by the Government of Kosovo to “maximize demands” in relation to Serbia, which he described as “supportive and sheltering of terrorist groups”. He added that the Kosovo Government has wasted time engaging with Serbia and not keeping its word to international partners, a behavior that led Kosovo towards punitive measures.

According to Haziri, tensions this year in Kosovo have produced crises that have forced Kosovo’s international partners to deal with them on a daily basis.

He said that the recent rift between Kosovo and the international community over the decision to ban the circulation of the dinar in Kosovo is part of the same approach. According to him, the Democratic League of Kosovo considers that “the implementation of the regulation (to ban the circulation of the dinar) is a constitutional obligation” but said that his party would engage in coordination with international factors.

Kosovo, Haziri said, must, by all means, have “better coordination, cooperation, pragmatism, in order to remove problems from the table, to move towards normalization”.

“The past has clearly shown that in no case has the U.S., when it has promised and made commitments towards the people of Kosovo and the government of Kosovo, failed to keep its word, in no circumstances. And now we must coordinate this step towards normalization with international mediators with confidence because the EU is our future home,” he added.

Asked whether as an advocate of the idea of territorial exchange as a solution to the Kosovo-Serbia issue he thinks this idea is dead, Haziri said that “now in the Balkans the change of borders as a possible option is excluded because the war in Ukraine has raised problems where touching the external borders of states is practically the main problem”.

Haziri said that despite the focused attention on Ukraine and the conflict in Israel-Gaza, Kosovo still remains a high priority for the international community. But, according to him, “Kosovo is being delayed… This Government has lost, two major moments, it has lost the opportunity to reach a comprehensive, obligatory legal agreement, where Serbia is obliged to turn the first page of the Constitution in relation to Kosovo,” Haziri declared. “Now Serbia is being asked for indirect recognition. At least, at this stage, Kosovo’s interest should be maximized again. And that’s a big step that Kosovo must take”.

According to him, the elections held this year in the United States and in European Union countries may change the approach of international factors towards Kosovo and the region.

“It is understandable that the Western Balkans remain an open or frozen problem, it is always a powder keg… and the sooner the problems in the region are resolved, the better and easier it will be for the normalization of our region and the European perspective”.

Haziri accused the Kurti Government of deviating from Kosovo’s pro-European agenda.

“This government… by increasing nationalist sentiment, has decreased the European sentiment and the pro-European culture of the people of Kosovo, the expectation for integration”.

He said that the EU’s punitive measures are increasing the anti-European sentiment in Kosovo.