The October 6 elections have changed the political situation in Kosovo, one of the conclusions of the panel “Prospects for normalization and dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina” held in Belgrade, with participants – Serbian and Albanian analysts – who all agree that a final agreement between the two sides will not come anytime soon.
Professor at the Faculty of Political Science at the University of Pristina, Behlul Beqaj said that the political scene in Kosovo is changing, in the sense that it is the “commanders who have run the politics are on the wane”, and that the next generation enters the scene.
Beqaj believes that the international community should give a chance to a new generation and emphasize that “the quality of the solution to the relationship between Kosovo and Serbia is much more important than speed.” He also says that normalization of relations is an internal need of both Serbia and Kosovo, and that it is in the interest of both parties.
Speaking about the results of the Kosovo elections, Beqaj says there has been a change, but not a post-war transition, because 20 years after the Kosovo conflict, the same people have been building the whole system.
Beqaj states that Kurti cannot divide Serbs into good and bad, which he is trying with choosing with whom he will talk to and whom he will not. However, he adds that Kurti should be given a chance, as he himself said he would not do the same while he was the opposition.
Former Vice President of the Assembly of Kosovo Petar Miletic said that in his opinion there would be no quick solution between Belgrade and Pristina.
– Anyone who takes over to conduct this dialogue will make the same mistake as his predecessor if he thinks it can be completed quickly – Miletic said, telling all negotiators “to leave the talk about the territory”, but to deal with people and human rights.
Miletic thinks that a big thing happened in Kosovo during the elections – the government has changed, but that the whole system will have to be changed now, which, he believes, is a serious challenge for Kurti.
– Kurti does not look favourably on Serbs, on the contrary, I would say that his views are sometimes extreme. Now he needs to change the narrative in order to establish a dialogue with the Serbs – Miletic said, pointing out that Kurti never said anything good about the Serbs, and bad he did, many times.
– Kurti does not have the right to decide to which Serbs he will talk to and which ones he will not – Miletic said, adding that Kosovo Serbs always suffered, but that they have now elected their representatives – the Serbian List.
“Bringing Rasic into parliament will be very challenging for Kurti,” Miletic says, pointing out that Kosovo Serbs will rely on Belgrade.
Analyst Nexhmedin Spahiu states that the international community must exert more pressure to end the normalization process.
“Perhaps, this is what politicians in Kosovo and Serbia expect, so they can use it as an excuse before their public, to come to an agreement,” Spahiu said.
He said, “Albin Kurti has changed, but not enough.”
– We will see his views, which we must take as transitional, that is, moving from the nonsense he spoke, to now saying things that he may have understood in the meantime, but we will only see that when he starts to act – says Spahiu.
– The change of government in Kosovo will happen, not because the people “became aware”, but because Albin Kurti and Isa Mustafa agreed, and Ramush Haradinaj and Kadri Veseli clashed – Spahiu said, adding that the post-war coalition on these elections won more votes than in 2017.
He added that the victims of the conflict between Belgrade and Pristina are not only Kosovo and Serbia, but the entire region, and explains that large companies do not want to invest in a region where there is no peace and quiet.
