The New Momentum From Washington DC
The english translation of the interview with the Albanian Post of Petrit Selimi, the former minister of foreign affairs of Kosovo, on expected diplomatic moves in the autumn, the role of USA in the dialogue, position of Turkey as well as ways how Kosovo can alleviate the diplomatic isolation and the EU sanctions.
“Petrit Selimi has been serving in Kosovar diplomacy years ago. From 2011 to 2016, he was a deputy minister in two terms, serving with Hashim Thaçi as prime minister and Enver Hoxhaj as foreign minister, and then with Isa Mustafa as prime minister and Hashim Thaçi, who for a two-year period served as foreign minister before becoming president. In 2016, Selimi was appointed foreign minister, in which position he served briefly, until he took over the development of the projects of the American federal agency MCC. For 6 years he served as the executive director of the Kosovo Millennium Foundation, which was the responsible entity appointed by the US government to invest funds in energy efficiency and other energy projects. Selimi served at the time when Kosovo’s diplomacy was the most active, a time of bilateral recognition by many countries, as well as Kosovo’s membership in the EBRD, the Venice Commission, regional organizations as successful projects, but also the great struggle for UNESCO as an attempt that failed by a few votes. Selimi distinguished himself with a very successful campaign in public diplomacy by investing in the diplomacy of interfaith dialogue, for which case he also received the Doha Global Prize for the promotion of interreligious dialogue; with the organization of Germia Hill conferences; as well as digital diplomacy.
Although it has been more than seven years since Selimi acted in the field of digital diplomacy, he is still among the most vocal and followed Kosovar voices on the Twitter, and often diplomats of the rank of former Swedish Prime Minister Carl Bildt, Ambassador Wolfgang Ischinger and many others quote and dialogue with Selimi’s tweets.
This interview also begins with a “tweet” of Selimi a few days ago, where he warns of an “American diplomatic offensive in dialogue”.
ALBANIAN POST: What did you mean with your tweet that the “USA will provide a new momentum for the Government of Kosovo” in the dialogue?
SELIMI: I am in frequent contact with friends in Washington DC and among the people who actively follow the Balkans, who in this time of global crises are not many in the Government and Congress, there is a constant concern about how the dialogue process between Kosovo and Serbia imploded. There is a clear concern and a certain blame that they dedicate to Prime Minister Kurti, but there is also a growing consensus that Serbia is not a reliable actor. So there is dissapointment with Kosovo, which they considered a partner, and there is a lack of confidence that Serbia will improve its behavior. The injuries to the NATO soldiers were a wake-up call, because an American soldier could have easily been killed, and such a dramatic incident would completely change the approach and position of the Biden administration. I think that the American presidential elections are also in the attention of many people and if they want to create a victory in the Balkans, this is the last period they can do it.
ALBANIAN POST: How will this momentum develop? What concretely are you talking about in terms of the actions of the Biden administration?
SELIMI: Some actions may unfold quickly and will be seen. I believe that within a few weeks we will have an important visit from the White House at a level that can send a clear message to Prime Minister Kurti about President Biden’s expectations. There may potentially be more high-level visits in the fall if things move in an undeniably positive direction. There is also a concrete change of personnel.
James O’Brien is coming in September, pending a confirmation in the Senate, at the level of Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs - so an extremely important position.
James O’Brien, in his current position as US sanctions coordinator, sanctioned Vulin just these weeks and this shows that we have a diplomat with complete information from the Balkans and a certain decision-making gravitas. O’Brian is well known for Kosovo, I have met him several times and he has personal friends in the Balkans, especially in Tirana and Prishtina. He has advised many people over the last decades about the situation in the Balkans, both political and economic, and he also knows the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue intimately.
O’Brien’s deputy will be Ambassador Yuri Kim, another powerful position being filled by a powerful diplomat with immediate experience serving successfully in Tirana. So personnel movements in Washington, and a direct initiative to help Kosovo get out of the self-created vortex of isolation and misunderstanding will be a hand extended to Kosovo.
Even Mrs. Nuland, in another high position at the State Department, has recently been included in the dialogue, while interest has also begun to awaken at the National Security Council.
ALBANIAN POST: Will the Government of Kosovo accept this “open hand” as you say? What should they do to improve the dramatically low bilateral relations we have today?
SELIMI: I really don’t know what to tell you because the Government of Kosovo has done the opposite of American advice for two years now, and even earlier. I saw that Prime Minister Kurti referred to the Americans in his long interview in Croatia, and maybe he understood where the salvation lies, but identifying the address of Kosovo’s allies is easy. The political courage expected in Washington from a Government or a party that controls both the Prime Minister’s Office, the Assembly and the Presidency for the first time, is focused on the three-point de-escalation plan and the Ohrid Agreement.
The chronology, good or bad, is established. The lack of experience of the Kosovar team in the dialogue was evident and the Ohrid Agreement came out as a lukewarm and tasteless porridge out of the positive Franco-German plan, but it is now the established the basis. And at the base of that basis lies a kind of bargain: Kosovo will make the association conform to the Constitution of the Republic of Kosovo, while the West will help Kosovo in integration. For me, an excessive and very surprising obsession that the Kurti Government is showing about Serbia and Vučić is not healthy. Kosovo should be “obsessed” with what happens in Brussels and Washington, but also the capitals of NATO.
ALBANIAN POST: Isn’t Kurt’s “obsession with Belgrade” explained because of a favor the West is doing to Serbia at the expense of Kosovo? There is also public dissatisfaction from Kurti’s people and Prime Minister Kurti himself that Serbia is being treated better than Kosovo?
SELIMI: It is clear that the West considers that there is a window of opportunity for Belgrade to separate from Moscow and for the landscape of the multi-polar influences in the Balkans to be reduced by cementing NATO as the only credible player. This is happening, but Vucic and Serbia are not proving to be reliable in concrete actions, if we compare the verbal promises that Vucic gives to leaders in the West. De facto, it is in the vital interest of Kosovo that Serbia becomes a normal state, anchored in the NATO and the EU. But if Serbia turns out to be a liar in this process, why do we waste time and resources? Let us focus on our journey, on our tasks alongside the expectations of the Euro-Atlantic family. Currently, we are under sanctions, not because of what Serbia has done, but because of what we have done, or better to say, we are refusing to do.
ALBANIAN POST: Is this why you say earlier that Kosovo should be concentrated in NATO capitals and not in Serbia?
SELIMI: It’s just sound logic. We know that Serbia is still hostile and that it may remain so for a long time, despite the dialogue. But we have a landscape that is experiencing tectonic movement throughout the West. Today Kurti has the Biden administration in front of him, tomorrow it could be President Trump again. Today it has President Macron, tomorrow it could easily be President Le Pen. It is the last era that in the West there are still figures in the governments who remember and have had an active role in the independence and world recognition of Kosovo. It is a grave and unforgivable historical irresponsibility if the delays created by the lack of courage or knowledge or by the personal caprice of the prime minister of Kosovo, create a situation of formal or informal isolation of Kosovo in the international arena. This also creates physical security risks for the citizens of Kosovo and, as Kosovo’s friends have stated many times, it only helps Belgrade and Moscow.
ALBANIAN POST: What are the immediate steps that should be taken?
SELIMI: I repeat that the steps are quite clear and the expectations are clear: it is de-escalation that focuses on the normalization of some kind of situation in the north and the new elections in north. It is the implementation of Ohrid that focuses on the Association. Kosovo’s diplomatic battle and dialogue with Washington and Brussels, but also with Tirana, should be focused on the benefits for Kosovo. I think it is a great sin that Tirana is being ignored and insulted while Prime Minister Rama managed to put Albania in a respectable regional and European position. So in short steps: pick up the phone, coordinate with Rama, coordinate deeply with Washington about the Association’s statute, reap the benefits for Kosovo and the promise in Washington that they will work with the EU states on recognition. The focus of the entire diplomatic apparatus and interaction of Kosovo should be NATO member countries. I do not see that the Government of Kosovo has so far expressed any focus on this fundamental goal for the security and sovereignty of Kosovo.
ALBANIAN POST: Is there a role for PDK and the opposition here?
SELIMI: I am simply a PDK voter and I do not have a party function and of course I cannot speak on their behalf. But PDK and the founder of the party, Hashim Thaçi, had a historic role in state-creation and state-building, and now PDK should not have to abdicate from the responsibility it has. I have a feeling that sometimes they are afraid of their own successes from the past - but these are evident, especially if compared to the current lethargic government that still does not have any success in the priority areas for Kosovo, both in the economy and in diplomacy. I would have been happy for any success nowadays because we lost a lot of time and as a country we are for the first time in an inflexible position of sanctions, but I think that the citizens have reason and justification to be worried. How this concern will be channeled depends on the government and the opposition. I think that even the position of President Thaçi and the leaders of the KLA in The Hague, which are now being held absurdly indetention in The Hague, will be stronger if Kosovo is stronger.
ALBANIAN POST: There are many voices claiming that the Government of Kosovo has focused on Turkey as a response to EU sanctions and American pressure. This was reinforced after the arrival of Bayraktar drones in Kosovo, as a very serious investment by Turkey in the armament of Kosovo. What is the role of Turkey?
SELIMI: I have never had the slightest doubt that Turkey is a strategic partner of Kosovo. It was these present-day officials who tended to personalize Turkey’s attitude and cast a doubt on any Turkish investment in Kosovo. It was an American ambassador who was physically assaulted by some in front of the Assembly of Kosovo during violent protests against Turkish investments in KEDS. [energy distribution]
The truth is that the economic position of Kosovo, the global recognition of Kosovo, the security and the army of Kosovo is more powerful because of the investments of Turkey, but also personally President Erdogan. Kosovo is too small and too needy for alliances to deliberately reduce friendships. Pragmatism and our own national interest must be primary.
We must strengthen relations with both Turkey and Greece; both with Israel and with all Arab states. We must return to the diplomatic offensive in Africa — where we can learn a lesson from President Pacolli who is investing in Africa; Pacific; Caribbean and the Balkan region itself, and to present ourselves as a factor of peace and deep dialogue. Wwe can only do this work with American, Turkish, European help, but, as Escobar also said a few days ago, this help will not come if we are not courageous in dialogue. In these cases, I always remember a children’s book entitled “Great is the brave one with many friends”.
The original interview in Albanian: https://albanianpost.com/ofensiva-e-madhe-amerikane-brenda-javesh-nje-vizite-e-rendesishme-nga-shtepia-e-bardhe-ne-kosove-interviste-ekskluzive-me-petrit-selimin-ish-minister-i-jashtem-i-kosoves/
Downloading and publishing texts from Albanian Post is not allowed without mentioning the source. Thank you for respecting the ethics of the journalistic profession. /Albanianpost.com
