For some time now, Albania has been heading in the wrong direction, not standing by Kosovo’s side.
This was the stance expressed by the chairman of the Democratic Party, Lulzim Basha, in his interview for the “Inside Albania” podcast with Alice Taylor.
“Albania is far behind with its agenda of supporting Kosovo and reflecting Euro-Atlantic values and principles in regional foreign policy. I say this without hesitation. For a long time, Albania has been heading in the wrong direction by considering Belgrade as a reliable partner, creating unnecessary distance from the emancipated capitals of the region, which share the same Euro-Atlantic values and agenda, such as Zagreb or Sofia and others,” stated Basha.
He added that by appointing Aleksandar Vulin as Deputy Prime Minister of Serbia, President Aleksandar Vučić has openly shown his intentions.
“Vulin has been declared non grata because he is seen as Vladimir Putin’s advocate in the Balkans. But Vučić made him deputy prime minister. Vučić has told us, at least he has been honest that he will await the right circumstances regarding Kosovo and the so-called Serbian imperial agenda. For a long time, Vučić has talked the West’s talk but has walked Moscow’s walk. He supports the re-creation of a Serbian empire with Belgrade at its center, with the division of Republika Srpska, with Montenegro being used as Belarus to Belgrade. As a prelude to this, there has been an attempt to forcibly take parts of Kosovo, an independent state, by imposing the reality of the division of northern Kosovo. This is a threat to peace and stability in the Balkans. We should not expect Vučić to roll the dice. We must stop him now!”
Therefore, Basha called for Albania to play a more proactive role in the region and not hesitate in supporting Kosovo.
“Albania has a major role. We cannot hide behind our privileges as NATO members, we cannot hide behind the security of our close and strategic alliance with the US or with the United Kingdom and the EU. We must take our steps! That is why, for over four months, my proposal is pending in Parliament. I have requested annual funding from Albania for Kosovo in military aid, in the amount of 50 million euros. It is there, but instead of being put up for discussion and unanimously voted on, it is pending. This is a sign of Albania’s irresponsible behavior under the current government, regarding national security, regional security, and the Euro-Atlantic security architecture in the Balkans.”
“We must put an end to the tradition of folkloric support for Kosovo. Let football fans enjoy patriotic songs, but let’s take mature and determined steps to show that any scenario of deviating from the Euro-Atlantic agenda by any regional actor is unacceptable for Albania, and we are ready to do everything to stop such a scenario,” concluded Basha.
You can watch the full interview here.
