Change in Kurti's priorities: Dialogue with Belgrade "jumped" from seventh to first place

Two years ago today, the Self-Determination Movement achieved victory in the early elections held in Kosovo, and the leader of that party and the current Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, said then that the dialogue between Pristina and Belgrade through the European Union would not be a priority of the government he would lead.

Self-Determination Movement achieved a convincing victory in those elections with 50.28 percent of the votes.

"Dialogue with Serbia is in sixth or seventh place. Our priority is justice and employment," Albin Kurti said in his first speech after the announcement of victory.

In two years, however, a lot has changed. Through numerous crises, there has been increasing pressure from Kosovo's international partners, and the biggest one, the US, from where it is increasingly being repeated that it is necessary to continue the dialogue with Serbia and form the CSM.

And while emissaries are coming more and more often, young people from Kosovo are leaving in increasing numbers in search of a better life, and as one of the main reasons for their departure, they cite the fact that there are no job opportunities in Kosovo, which, let's recall, was Kurti's priority, as opposed to dialogue. 

The President of the Democratic Party of Kosovo, Lumir Abdixhiku, announced recently that 49,000 people had left Kosovo in 2022 alone, while the World Bank stated in its latest report that unemployment in Kosovo was the highest in the Western Balkans at 31.3 percent.

Spahiu: Kurti's failures

Kosovo analyst Nexhmedin Spahiu stated that Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti had failed to achieve his priorities for half of his mandate, as well as to put aside the issue of dialogue, as he had wanted when he had come to power.

"He failed in employment and justice; he saw that it was not so easy to achieve it. And from seventh place, dialogue jumped to first place. Dialogue, although not so good and not so easy, became the strongest side, because in all other fields, Kurti failed. Neither education, nor employment, nor all other fields where a government should solve problems, Kurti failed," Spahiu told Kosovo Online.

As he added, Kurti together with his government had not contributed to any area that was important for the citizens of Kosovo.

"Half of Kurti's mandate has already passed, and he didn't manage to build even a kilometer of the highway; he didn't change anything in education or culture. The only place where he could last longer, than his predecessors, is in the field of dialogue, but he's not doing very well there either," Spahiu emphasized.

The president of the “Matica Albanaca” in Serbia, Demo Berisha, believes that Kurti has not achieved any success, not even in terms of his number 1 priority.

"It's common knowledge that Kurti does the opposite of what he says. Everything he says he wouldn't do, he actually does. It's the case with dialogue too; he said that dialogue was in seventh place, so now it's in the first place. However, Kurti is trying to see his mandate through to the end by blocking it and constantly setting new demands before the EU, Washington, and Belgrade. But it seems that the time has come when, due to pressure from his mentors, he will be forced to make a final decision," Berisha told Kosovo Online.

According to his words, Kurti had not provided economic improvement for the citizens of Kosovo, but by causing extreme situations, he had managed to put the Serbs in Kosovo in danger.

"Kurti didn't do anything for the economic improvement of the citizens of Kosovo, but dealt with secondary matters, by causing extreme situations, he brought the Serbs to the point of endangering their lives and thereby tried to sacrifice Kosovo society, to present himself as a victim of Belgrade's politics, and thus to influence the acceleration of recognition by Belgrade," Berisha emphasized.

Berisha: Irresponsible as in the opposition

He added that Kurti still behaved as if he was a part of the opposition, and did not feel responsible for his actions, but instead blamed the parties that were in the opposition.

"He only raised the everyday rhetoric to the level of chauvinism. This led to this position of the Serbs, while the Albanians leave Kosovo every day. It is known that 98,000 Albanians left Kosovo in two years. Everything indicates that both economically and in every other aspect, Kosovo society is in a crisis situation," Berisha concluded.