Belgrade-based Politika runs an opinion pace by Dusan Teleskovic.
Invitation to the Prime Minister of Albania to visit Belgrade is the result of honest desire of authorities in Serbia, after 67 years, to relax relations between two biggest nations in Balkans. Did Edi Rama have the same motives after he accepted the invitation?
This question rises as self-imposed following information that Rama’s cabinet, contrary to a good diplomatic practice, requested the keys of Belgrade to be handed over to him and to attend a rally in Presevo.
It turns out that brothers Edi and Olsi Rama have sent two ‘drones’ to Belgrade; one to the football match, which was allegedly directed by Olsi and another, diplomatic one, from the cabinet of Edi Rama. The drones have shown that first steps in reconciliation between Serbs and Albanians will go much more difficult than expected by official Brussels, Belgrade and all others who consider the visit as important in normalization of relations in Balkans.
The thing that the host, instead of carefully tailored wishes of the important visitor, has been forwarded a ready-made plane of his visit requesting the keys of Belgrade, has raised suspicions amongst many. Is it about intentional provocation, designed with the same goal as the ‘drone’ had, with the flag on the football game?
Or, the goal is about to upset official Belgrade? Did someone count that Serbs could not handle such challenge? Or, the idea was that official Belgrade abandons the idea on ‘historic visit’?
The ‘drone’ at the game was supposed to provoke harsh reactions after which the world could see bloody heads of Albanian football players, whereas Serbia would be presented as a savage state which is fighting even innocent football players.
Maybe, the diplomatic ‘drone’ was supposed to prompt official Belgrade to cancel Rama’s visit?
It is easy to imagine reactions in the West, which is already furious about recent Putin’s visit and the military parade. Many would easily buy accusation on ‘fake Serbia’s European path which, as one can see, doesn’t even want to reconcile with its neighbors’.
Permanent repetition of Albanian officials that Serbia is ‘racist and chauvinist state’ would, without any doubts, receive support in the eyes of those who went blind on claims of Albanian politician that the flag of ‘great Albania’ is their national symbol. Some used to go almost unconscious after mentioning the idea of ‘great Serbia’, whereas today they are silent over ‘great Albania’, ignoring the fact that such entity used to exist under the patronage of Italian fascist in the WWII.
From this reasons, behavior of the official Belgrade, which decided not to cancel Rama’s visit to Belgrade but to postpone it, is equally important, like the one of players of the national team of Serbia who protected Albanian players at the stadium. They both prevented bad pictures to be sent to the world about Serbs.
However, how can we explain to ourselves the behavior of the official Tirana? Maybe, one could think about whether Albanian leadership, in this situation, plays the role of a ‘drone’. And if so, who is directing it with the remote control – from the VIP box.
