Despite the return of unrest, this former diplomat continues to believe that progress is possible in Kosovo

World news


On Monday, 30 soldiers and 60 protesters were injured in a battle between Serbian demonstrators and NATO soldiers in Kosovo. Can Europe’s youngest country ever merge peacefully into the European Union?

The cause of the violence is that Kosovo wants to install four Albanian mayors in the northern region where many Serbs live. Albanians form a majority in Kosovo: 90 percent against 10 percent Serbs. The latter group does not agree with the choice.

Resistance to independence

“It’s back and forth in Kosovo,” says historian Pieter Feith, who worked as a diplomat in the country for a number of years. “And the sad thing is that it is exactly the same as 10 years ago, when I was there.”

Kosovo was declared independent in 2008, but not by all countries. Serbia, for example, has always opposed it, supported by Russia and China. Resistance is greatest in northern Kosovo, where many Serbs live. The Kosovo government has never really gained control there.


View the report

Authority over the north

“From time to time the government also tries to gain authority over the north,” says Feith, who lived in Kosovo from 2008 to 2012. “In my time it was about performing minimal administrative tasks, such as issuing documents, identity papers or paying pensions.”

But the Kosovo government goes further than that: “It is trying to gain control over the borders between Kosovo and Serbia in particular, in order to prevent smuggling.” An important reason is that Kosovo would like to join the European Union, for which it must meet strict requirements for trade and border crossing.

Violence in Kosovo

Violence in Kosovo

Dilemma

Feith: “It is understandable that attempts are being made to gain more control in the north. The only question is: how do you do that without using violence?”

As a diplomat at the time, he found this a major dilemma: “We didn’t want it to become a ‘frozen conflict’. We already saw that happening around Russia, around the former Soviet Union. We also had to avoid the north splitting off, because that would set a precedent for other parts of the region,” he explains.

info

5 facts about Kosovo

  • Kosovo is one of five countries with more residents living abroad than in the country itself. About 1.8 million people live in Kosovo itself, 90 percent of whom belong to the Albanian majority. The rest are Serbs, Bosniaks, Gorani, Turks and Roma.
  • Kosovo has the youngest population in Europe: more than 70 percent is under 35 years old.
  • It is the only country that does not belong to the European Union, but uses the euro.
  • There is a melody for the national anthem, but no lyrics. One language would then have to be chosen, while the country has two official languages.
  • Artists such as Dua Lipa and Rita Ora are children of parents from Kosovo’s Albanian minority, but are often referred to as Albanians because Kosovo is not recognized as an independent country by all countries.

support government

At the same time, the Netherlands had and must support the Kosovo government, he believes. “Unfortunately, that has also led to violence. But we, the Netherlands, the United States, Great Britain, France and Germany recognize Kosovo within its current borders, including the north.”

That turns out not to be enough, because things still go wrong, just like last week. “The problem is also that the international community has paid too little attention to the problems in Kosovo over the past 10 years. Just like in Bosnia, for example. You now see that major powers such as Russia, China and Turkey are gaining influence in those countries,” says Fact.

Kosovo number plates

Recently things also went wrong in Kosovo. Last December, the government decided that Serbs living in Kosovo should start driving their cars with Kosovar license plates. The Serbs disagreed. Here and there they set up blockades and set cars on fire.

“Fortunately, the commotion caused by these kinds of actions is often short-lived,” says former diplomat Feith. “I wouldn’t be surprised if this misery in the north will calm down at some point and then we can continue for a few years.”

Former diplomat Pieter Feith

Former diplomat Pieter Feith

‘Not wise’

But it is not wise of the Kosovo government, actions like those with the number plates. But also the decision to appoint Albanian mayors in the northern region.

The conflict is only getting bigger, says Feith, and international support from important allies like America is actually declining. “Unfortunately, we have to conclude that very little has changed in recent years.”

also look at

EU candidate

Meanwhile, as a candidate country, Kosovo, like Serbia and Ukraine, is in the queue for accession to the European Union. “A large number of EU leaders are deeply concerned about the accession of Ukraine and the Balkan countries.”

“Not because of an aversion to those countries, but because of concerns about the functioning of the Union and the decision-making process. How are we going to make decisions with more than thirty member states? That will be a problem.”

also look at

Human progress

In any case, an important requirement for accession is that the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia gets under way. Whether Feith has confidence in that, with all his past experiences?

“Yes, I still believe in people’s desire to make progress and not give up. I believe in human progress, also for the Balkans.”

info

To ask? Ask them!

Do you have any questions after reading this article or do you want to comment? Send us a message here in our chat.



source

Rate article
Add a comment