“Patriots” and Serbia’s biscuits (Zeri)
Editor-in-chief Arbana Xharra argues in an opinion piece that economic reports on Kosovo’s trade with Serbia are the best illustration of “the false patriotism of Albanians”. “Serbia has received no less than €3 billion in cash money from Kosovo since the declaration of independence in 2008. A several-day research by Zeri has revealed mind-boggling figures, names of importers, big and small companies, through which Serbia now controls the market in key sectors in Kosovo. There are many ‘patriots’ who after the war rushed to Serbia to get the exclusivity of spreading Serbian businesses in our country. Some of them, after the war ended in 1999, started their businesses with the help of Balkans oligarch Miroslav Miskovic who even during Slobodan Milosevic’s reign enjoyed state privileges to expand his economic empire throughout the Balkans. Some Albanian businessmen used their friendships before the war to continue doing legal and illegal businesses after the war. They contributed to Kosovo’s economic dependency from Serbia in food, energy, oil products, and medicine and construction material. The funders of political parties are the biggest importers of Serbian products.”