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Kurti: Russia's victory in Ukraine would threaten peace in the Balkans

2024-10-04 14:48:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti said on Thursday that the Balkan region has enjoyed the highest degree of peace, freedom and democracy over the past 25 years, but this could change if Russia intervenes in Ukraine and thus encourages Serbian expansion.

Prime Minister Kurti said that it is important for the West to remain united in support of Ukraine, while it defends itself from Russian aggression.

In an interview with the Associated Press news agency, Prime Minister Kurti argued that a stronger Russia would embolden Serbia and not only Kosovo, but also Bosnia, Montenegro and "perhaps North Macedonia" would be endangered by what he described as Serbian expansionist ambitions.

Relations between Kosovo and Serbia remain strained, and 13 years of normalization talks facilitated by the European Union have made no progress, particularly after a shootout in September last year between armed masked Serbs and Kosovo police left behind himself four killed.

NATO-led peacekeepers have also increased their numbers along the Kosovo-Serbia border.

"These 25 years have been a quarter of a century with the highest degree of peace, freedom and democracy in the Balkans," said Prime Minister Kurti.

He spoke at the Kosovo diplomatic mission in Warsaw, the Polish capital. The mission was opened after Poland and Kosovo established consular relations in 2022.

Asked what it would mean for Kosovo and the Balkans if Russia invaded Ukraine, Mr. Kurti said that "with Serbia as a regional hegemon and extension of Russia, these 25 years of peace, freedom and democracy in the Balkans, unparalleled in history ours, they would be in danger again".

Serbian efforts to maintain dominance as the former Yugoslavia disintegrated in the 1990s sparked Europe's most destructive wars since World War II, at least until Russia's aggression in Ukraine on February 24, 2022.

Kosovo was a province of Serbia until a 78-day NATO bombing campaign in 1999 ended a war between Serbian government forces and ethnic Albanian insurgents in Kosovo, which left about 13,000 mostly ethnic Albanians dead and drove Serbian forces.

Serbia does not recognize Kosovo's independence, and thousands of international peacekeepers are still in Kosovo to maintain peace with Serbia, from which Kosovo seceded in 2008.

"Despotic President (Vladimir) Putin would be encouraged to continue with his destabilization efforts, even more so if he feels successful in Ukraine," Prime Minister Kurti said. "I really don't want to believe that he can theoretically win. But the very fact that he thinks he can win is quite problematic."

Prime Minister Kurti visited Poland as the Central European country prepares to take over the next presidency of the 27-member European Union next January. One of his goals is for Kosovo to join the EU, but five of the bloc's member countries, Spain, Greece, Cyprus, Romania and Slovakia, still do not recognize Kosovo.

Prime Minister Kurti pointed out that Spain recognized the passports of Kosovo at the beginning of this year.

"So there are baby steps," he said. "But you know, these small steps don't make the big step necessary, which is recognition."

Kosovo, where 90 percent of the population of 1.6 million are Albanian, is expected to hold parliamentary elections next February, a vote expected to be a test for Mr Kurti, whose ruling party won a majority in 2021./ Wow