(Im)possible Mission of Nora Visoka-Weller: Do Improved Kosovo-Greece Relations Lead to Recognition?

Although Greece officially does not recognize Kosovo, the long-standing trend of establishing and strengthening bilateral cooperation could reach its peak thanks to Pristina's special mission in Athens, headed by Nora Visoka-Weller. Analysts from Belgrade, Pristina, and Athens agree that her diplomatic activities will focus on achieving Kosovo's independence recognition. However, opinions are divided on whether a change in Greece's stance remains an impossible mission.

By Petar Rosic

A special mission signifies a temporary assignment with the host country's consent, focused on specific issues or tasks. Pristina's mission in Athens aims to promote Kosovo's interests in Greece and serve as a platform for dialogue, cooperation, and exchange between the two countries.

Main Tasks of the Special Mission:

Promoting Bilateral Relations: Enhancing political, economic, and cultural cooperation between Kosovo and Greece.

Supporting Kosovar Citizens in Greece: Providing consular services and protecting the rights of Kosovar citizens residing or conducting business in Greece.

Coordinating with Greek Institutions: Establishing contacts and cooperation with Greek authorities and organizations to strengthen bilateral relations and address mutual concerns.

Promoting Kosovo's Interests in International Organizations: Supporting Kosovo’s efforts for membership and active participation in international organizations such as the EU, NATO, and other relevant international institutions.

Last week, Kosovar media reported that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs proposed Nora Visoka-Weller, the wife of British professor Mark Weller, who was part of Prime Minister Albin Kurti’s expert team in the dialogue with Serbia, to head the special mission in Greece.

Kosovo-Greece relations have so far focused primarily on economic cooperation. However, with the appointment of Albanian lawyer Visoka-Weller, it is expected that this cooperation will significantly deepen, with many believing that her mission will lead to Greece recognizing Kosovo's independence.

Visoka-Weller is a legal expert in cultural heritage protection at the University of Cambridge, primarily focusing on cultural heritage and the position of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Kosovo. She has frequently emphasized that Kosovo institutions should manage the property of Serbian monasteries and churches.

She has also investigated crimes committed against Albanians in Kosovo during the 1998-1999 period and held her first diplomatic post within the UN as the head of arms control in the Western Balkans.

Many link her mission in Greece to her husband’s activities. Mark Weller was, among other roles, an advisor on Kosovo at the Rambouillet Conference in 1999, a senior legal advisor in the Vienna process of negotiations on the final status between Kosovo and Serbia from 2006-2007, contributed to drafting Kosovo's Constitution, and was an advisor to Albin Kurti up to the meeting on normalizing relations with Serbia in Ohrid.

Interviewees from Kosovo Online in Belgrade, Pristina, and Athens agree on the mission's objectives but have differing opinions on Greece's stance.

Petar Rankovic, a researcher at the Institute for European Studies, recalls that economic cooperation was the primary topic at the beginning of their relations in 2019, when the Chamber of Commerce of Pristina opened an office in Athens. However, since 2021, after the Greek Foreign Minister's visit to Pristina, this cooperation has expanded to include political issues and protection.

“Since 2021, we have been talking about new responsibilities and activities for this office, and we now see that this office, initially focused on economic cooperation, is set to gain a political dimension. Symbolically, this is very important, as it is intended to serve quasi-bilateral relations, simulating diplomatic-consular representation as countries that recognize each other have in other states,” Rankovic told Kosovo Online.

He notes that the relations between Greece and Kosovo are complex, given Greece's stance on not recognizing Kosovo's independence while simultaneously supporting Kosovo's efforts for membership in international organizations such as the EU and NATO.

“I consider this issue very challenging, and there are significant chances that at some point, Athens will officially recognize Kosovo, given that everything happening in recent years supports the strengthening of bilateral relations. We can say that there is a growing trend of cooperation between the two sides, which could eventually lead to official recognition,” he explains.

In the broader geopolitical context, Rankovic emphasizes that Greece's foreign policy towards Kosovo should be viewed in light of its relations with Turkey, which has “serious strategic and geographical aspirations in the Aegean islands.”

“Analysts, primarily from Greece and Europe, interpret that Greece is making certain concessions to official Brussels and Washington regarding Kosovo's status and maintaining bilateral cooperation, while in return, it receives unconditional support in protecting its interests regarding Turkey,” says Rankovic. He assesses that if any of the five EU member states were to revise their stance on Kosovo's independence, “Greece is certainly the first from which this could be expected.”

Professor of Constitutional Law at the University of Pristina, Mazlum Baraliu, agrees that the West has played a role in the relations between Greece and Kosovo. He notes to Kosovo Online that the relations between Greece and Kosovo are improving, primarily economically but also politically, thanks to the influence of the Quint countries.

“The Greek economy is quite present in Kosovo, with investors already there, and it is likely that the Quint countries have influenced Greece to improve relations in some way. Now it has finally come to the point where an office with both economic and political significance is being opened, through which relations between Greece and Kosovo will continue to develop,” Baraliu states.

A professor from Pristina believes that this diplomatic mission could contribute to Greece recognizing Kosovo's independence.

“For the past two or three years, there has been talk that Greece might be the first among the five countries that have not recognized Kosovo's independence to do so. It seems that these relations are now developing in that context,” he adds.

He praises Nora Visoka-Weller as an expert and reminds that her husband, Mark Weller, was an advisor to Prime Minister Albin Kurti during the normalization talks with Serbia in Ohrid.

“Kosovo is trying to get closer to all the European Union countries that have not recognized it, and this mission can certainly contribute to that effort. Greece is present in Balkan countries where it has a strong economy and banking system, such as Albania, Macedonia, Serbia, Bulgaria, and other countries, so it has an interest in developing relations with Kosovo as well,” says Baraliu.

He identifies Greece’s relationship with Cyprus, which, like Spain, strongly opposes recognizing Kosovo, as one of the obstacles. Nevertheless, he notes that Pristina and Athens have good relations and recalls that Greece was among the first to recognize Kosovo’s passports.

Foreign policy commentator from Athens, Vasilis Nedos, also believes that Kosovo's special mission in Greece will contribute to better relations. However, unlike his colleagues from Belgrade and Pristina, he does not believe that significant moves, such as official recognition, are likely at this moment.

Nedos explains to Kosovo Online that visits by high-ranking Kosovo officials to Athens, including the Prime Minister and the Foreign Minister, have become a regular occurrence in the past year, but Greece maintains a clear and stable official position on Kosovo.

“The Prime Minister of Kosovo has been here several times in the past year. We have also had visits from the Foreign Minister, so I would say that such exchanges are not unusual. There is a clear and stable official position of Greece that we want the normalization of relations between communities and cultural ties with Kosovo. That is why we support the KFOR mission, with Greek troops present in Kosovo. On a bilateral level, Kosovo opened an office in Athens several years ago. However, I do not believe there will be significant further moves like official recognition, at least not at this moment,” he states.

He points out that Greece is part of the Balkans and has "problems with neighbors," particularly with North Macedonia and Albania. Therefore, it is always useful to be in contact with neighbors.

Regarding the special mission itself, Nedos believes that Pristina expects more regular exchanges of opinions and meetings in Athens to persuade them that recognizing Kosovo would not create problems related to other Greek foreign policy issues.

“However, I do not think this is a step towards recognition. Official recognition of Kosovo would require a different course of events. Of course, we know that this request from Pristina is always on the table, but I do not think the atmosphere here in Athens is ripe for such a step forward in relations between Greece and Kosovo,” he concludes.