Do those who oppose the Open Balkan Initiative wish for a new conflict?

Writes for Kosovo Online: Zeljko Sain, Politika's special correspondent from Skopje

After the end of the Cold War, we are far from achieving a new, positive, and sustainable international order, as stated in 2019 by Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the second man in the Vatican, supplementing this observation with the Pope's words that a Third World War is underway in parts. If these words were not entirely clear to us at the time, today, unfortunately, we are convinced of their truth. In an exclusive interview with "Politika", the Pope said that conflicts were not resolved by forgetting but through dialogue. However, on today's political scene, dialogue is on the back burner, drowned out by gunfire.

The Russian-Ukrainian conflict, the war between Israel and Hamas, and tensions on our territory since 1999 when 19 NATO member states bombed Yugoslavia, as well as conflicts in the Balkans on the territory of the former SFRY, with a focus on Kosovo and Metohija. All of these war operations have one thing in common: they happen on territories where the majority of the population is Slavic, Jewish, and Romani.

After the fall of the Berlin Wall, within all the conflicts worldwide, the Western Balkans, where European integration continued to slip through their fingers, became an increasingly significant hotspot for interethnic conflicts. The most intense relationships are, on one hand, between the Albanians and the Serbs in Kosovo, and on the other hand, between the Macedonians and the Albanians in North Macedonia. By bombing Yugoslavia, NATO provided support to the Albanians in Kosovo and opened the doors for them to establish an independent state, accusing Serbia and Milosevic of attempting genocide in the Serbian province. Serbia is pressured to recognize the independence of its province and sever its historical roots, while North Macedonia, in its pursuit of EU membership, faces new conditions and threats if it fails to meet them. Despite a change in the Constitution and the name of the state, it has not joined the EU but is now asked for another constitutional change at the request of Bulgaria, while the Albanians in this state seek greater rights.

In 2001, the Albanians, through an armed conflict against the state, obtained, with the Ohrid Framework Agreement, the right to a 20 percent share in state institutions. However, despite this, in May 2015, an armed group of professionals from Kosovo wearing KLA uniforms infiltrated Macedonian territory and attacked the state order, killing Macedonian police officers. Why? There is no answer. For the United States, NATO, and the OSCE, according to a joint statement, it was an "isolated phenomenon". Representatives of foreign states and international military, security, and political organizations avoided calling the foreign individuals who had violently attacked Macedonia by their true name. According to the Constitution of the Republic of North Macedonia, these were terrorists who threatened the constitutional order and territorial integrity of the state. Of course, Albanian parties did not acknowledge that there was a foreign element involved in Macedonian territory, even though this state recognized Kosovo's independence.

However, Bujar Osmani, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of North Macedonia, made the following statement regarding the Banjska incident, where an armed conflict erupted between residents and the Kosovo Police:

"I believe that Serbia needs to make an effort to prove it is not involved in that event because if there is any state interference, it makes our participation, and that of other countries in the region, impossible, as the idea of the 'Open Balkan' is primarily reconciliation. I hope it will be proven that there is no state involvement, but if it is proven, I think we need to reconsider our participation".

Not a single Albanian in the Republic of North Macedonia Government, including Bujar Osmani, has made a statement about whether the state should reconsider its recognition of Kosovo because Kosovo Albanians in uniforms attacked the defenders of law and order in the territory of Kumanovo, Republic of North Macedonia, thereby undermining the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the internationally recognized country within the UN.

The Prime Minister of the Republic of North Macedonia, Kovacevski, explained that Osmani had expressed his opinion as a high-ranking member of the DUI party, which was a coalition partner in the current Government. However, it was also in power when the attack occurred in Kumanovo. Kovacevski sent a message from Grenada to the United States, the EU, NATO, the OSCE, and neighbors:

"If there is no peace, there will be no 'Open Balkan' or the Berlin Process. By the same analogy, other international organizations and initiatives involving a large number of countries should also be reconsidered, such as the OSCE. We are a country presiding over the OSCE in the most challenging year for Europe; OSCE members include Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine. In the OSCE, we have a country that has attacked another member state, and you can only imagine the challenge of chairing such an organization that sometimes operates under blockades and even paralysis conditions, and it takes a lot of skill to keep the organization functioning".

Kovacevski particularly reminded Rama, the Prime Minister of Albania, as well as the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of North Macedonia, Osmani, who presides over the OSCE, why initiatives like the "Open Balkan" were formed. They were created to pursue their political interests, forgetting that above all, the interests of the state and the citizens living in it should prevail.

"We are here to create, not to destroy. Our message is that Serbia and Kosovo should find a compromise for peace and take the right steps, make the right moves for the secure future of their citizens, and their people, and for the stability of the entire region. As a country, we set a clear example that all open issues at home and with our neighbors are resolved through active and open dialogue, and I believe that this region can achieve much more and much better. With our experience and real support, we are available in all processes to ensure peace and stability in the region, which needs and must become a part of the EU in the near future".

Kovacevski emphasized at the end that party interests could not be above national interests: "The Government's position remains unchanged that as a state, we have a constructive role and participation in all regional initiatives, including the 'Open Balkan', as long as these initiatives bring concrete benefits to the citizens, the state, the economy, and the business of the countries involved in these initiatives".

"Open Balkan" is the cornerstone of peace in the Western Balkans. Nevertheless, this initiative has its opponents, among whom Kosovo with Kurti and Germany with Scholz stand out. Germany, which prepared Ukraine for war with Russia through the Minsk Agreements. Does the fact that "Open Balkan" bothers them mean that they are actually hoping for a conflict scenario?