Two pictures of the Albanian world - Edi Rama and Aljbin Kurti (5): Encouraging the disintegration of Kosovo unity, creating disobedience, and losing friends

Writing for Kosovo Online: Dragan Bisenic, journalist

One of the leading Kosovo journalists, Halil Matoshi, at the beginning of this year harshly criticized the "Tirana Group" and explained in detail why he thought that Kurti would accept the Community of Serb-majority Municipalities. The ratification of the First Agreement (2013) on the Community of Serb-majority Municipalities is a valid international agreement and does not require ratification by Serbia. Has Serbia ratified Ahtisaari's plan? Those who ignore this agreement and the new state's allies want Kosovo to be treated as a "failed state" and to disintegrate in the future. The "Tirana Group" in the "Self-Determination" Movement is in that sense subversive towards the Kosovo state.

Previously, Albin Kurti had six conditions to enter into dialogue with Serbia. Believe it or not, he started the dialogue without any of those conditions being met.

And now, deeply immersed in the murky waters of the dialogue, when Kosovo's allies ask Prime Minister Kurti to be constructive so that he does not refuse the implementation of state obligations, he sets new conditions, to buy time, to eventually find international understanding for changing the name of the CSM.

Matoshi suggests that "Kurti and his followers, as well as the President and the President of the Assembly", when they talk about the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, either go back to the past, "he did and said", or look forward to the future, prejudging that, "there is something to be done and said", because they cannot stand his current game, which in the two years of the existence of the new government in Kosovo, managed to affirm itself in the eyes of the international community, especially the Americans, as constructive. And the Kosovo leadership cannot stand this fact. They see it as epistemological incest.

Kurti's six new conditions are the same as those from 2015. However, Kurti is at a loss as to how to change the name of "Community" and sell it to his voters as a victory, as he is not interested in the content at all. Just as he was not interested in anything relating to Kosovo in the past.

Matoshi identifies the group as "Enveristic integralists". The strengthening of the Kosovo state does not fit in with the leftist performative theories of destructive postmodern intellectuals nor with the ideological movement against the establishment of Noam Chomsky in the US. That is why the "Ahtisaari state" was transformed by "Leftist ideologues, Enverist integralists".

And the "Tirana Group" participated in this campaign, which aims to "within the system of the Kosovo state, encouraging the disintegration of Kosovo's unity and the loss of friends, create disobedience, disloyalty to the Kosovo people, the state, constitutional identity, and symbolism".

Matoshi then broadly argues why Kosovo must accept the Community of Serb-majority Municipalities and why Kurti will eventually accept it.

"It is clear that the CSM cannot be abolished without the consent of the Serbs and the international community, because it would disrupt Ahtisaari's plan, and thus we would shake the foundations of the Kosovo state. Kurti, therefore, avoids mentioning the ratification of the First Agreement, 2013, in the Assembly, deceiving the citizens of Kosovo that the "Community" was annulled by the Constitutional Court, and it, in the second point, says exactly the opposite - the CSM must be formed based on the Agreement from 2013 and these decisions," Matoshi says.

The Constitution of Kosovo (Article 147) is clear - The provisions of the Comprehensive Proposal for the Resolution of the Status of Kosovo of March 26, 2007, have priority over all other legal provisions in Kosovo.

In this case, an international agreement is in force, and a state that refuses to enforce its laws is at least considered a failed state, if not punished. The US seeks the implementation of the First Agreement (2013) by interpreting the disputed points of principle from the 2015 Agreement in the spirit of the Constitution, according to point 2 of the decision of the Constitutional Court, without executive powers and within the Kosovo legislation. Matoshi hints that "Kurti seems to have the 'shadow' support of the British until the dilemmas that the CSM can turn into a 'constitutional demon' are resolved. But the CSM remained a 'noose around his neck'".

An international agreement that has been negotiated, signed, and ratified in the Assembly cannot be renegotiated. If Kosovo does not implement its laws, Serbia is not to blame, Matoshi points out. That is why, for him, Kurti is "the perfect cold war demagogue, but also a dangerous man for the peaceful habitus of the citizens of Kosovo".

And the irony in all this will be when, after he decides on the CSM, a crowd of Kosovo citizens start applauding him as their hero because the mass suffers from amnesia, Matoshi concludes.

Prominent Albanian journalist Mero Baze discussed the last disagreement between Rama and Kurti regarding the proposal of the CSM Statute, which Rama sent to Paris and Berlin and for which he was most severely attacked in Kosovo. The "Tirana group" organized demonstrations against him, and in the end, the joint session of the two governments was canceled. Baze pointed out that Rama's actions had been the fulfillment of national duties, and then mocked the "Tirana Group" and Prime Minister Albin Kurti's advisers from their ranks, calling them "toxic waste" that "must be disposed of" in order to "preserve the environment from poisoning".

Baze also commented on Rama's draft of the CSM Statute and assessed that in this case, the Albanian Prime Minister had fulfilled his duty, emphasizing that the problem had arisen because Kurti and Rama had not had "stable and honest personal relations."

Respecting this framework of national security, Albania has a duty to intervene in a possible conflict between Kosovo and the West in order to keep Kosovo on the Euro-Atlantic track. Kosovo and Albania should do the same. If the Prime Minister of Albania goes crazy and declares war on the West, Kosovo must distance itself. This debate would not exist if Edi Rama and Albin Kurti had a stable and honest personal relationship. Edi Rama is not included in the political agenda of Albin Kurti. Since any advice he gave to Kurti could be misused in Kosovo, he simply recommended Albania's position to international factors. This attitude does not oblige anyone, nor does it impose anything. Kurti and Vucic can tear it up and throw it in the bin. But before they do that, each of them needs to write a draft for solving this problem. Neither one nor the other wrote that. Rama simply fulfilled his duty as a representative of the Albanian state, and for that, he hired the best international experts. On the other hand, Albin Kurti, who does not rule Kosovo at all, but deals with crises of his own making, hopes to survive the elections as a false patriot. This is the reason why he is not interested in a solution," the Albanian journalist said.

Baze points out that those actions of Albania are a national obligation, but also that Kurti did not consult with anyone when he acted in the north of Kosovo

"Edi Rama simply showed the European Union and the US that it is in the national interest of the Albanians to be on their side. If Kurti has another option against the West, then it can be said that Albania was interfering in the internal affairs of Kosovo, because it wanted Kosovo to remain connected to the West. This is a national obligation. Otherwise, we cannot save ourselves or Kosovo in the event of a conflict. But if they were harmonized, there would be no need for a draft because it would not lead to conflict with the West. Kurti is coordinated neither with Tirana, nor with the US, nor with the EU, nor with KFOR, nor with NATO. These are all allies of the Albanians in the region. So far, it seems that he is coordinated only with Sali Berisha and Ilir Meta," he said.

Commenting on the criticism that Rama received in Kosovo for his proposal, Baze said that Albin Kurti's advisors felt betrayed because Edi Rama had not supported the "stupidity" of the Kosovo Prime Minister.

"There is an evil attempt to identify Albin Kurti with Kosovo when it comes to this crisis. Rama clearly said that they had nothing to do with Kosovo; they had nothing to do with Albin Kurti. And these advisers of Albin Kurti feel betrayed, because Edi Rama did not support Kurti's stupidity, but is on the side of the West. They say 'the West is on Serbia's side', because according to their logic, whoever is not with Kurti is with Serbia. I don't think Edi Rama is bothered by the messages Kurti sends him through Marxist 'emissaries'. Edi Rama is worried about the nonsense that Kurti utters to Westerners," he believes.

Baze harshly criticized the "Tirana Group" that advises Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti. He said that those emissaries of the head of government were there to attack the most loyal allies of the Kosovo state.

Baze assessed that Kurti had found his sympathizers in Tirana because he did not trust people from Kosovo. Mocking this group, the Albanian journalist said that in Albania they didn't even know the dimensions of the building where they had lived.

"First of all, Kurti's advisers from Tirana are emissaries themselves. The difference is that they are not emissaries of the US or the EU, but emissaries of Albin Kurti. I don't know why they see fit to mock their role. Second, when you say they are from Albania, it seems like you have this evil from Albania as well. Albania failed. Albin Kurti found his sympathizers since he does not trust people from Kosovo because he is paranoid. In Albania, they don't even know the dimensions of the building in which they lived. More or less, he did the same as Milosevic in 1990, when he appointed Sejdo Bajramovic as a member of the Presidency of Yugoslavia from Kosovo. In order to understand who he is in Kosovo, a friend told me that he had once looked him up in the directory, called him, and made sure it was him. He was elected as a representative by the Roma people of Kosovo. For us in Tirana, it's more or less the same problem, if you ask us who Albin’s advisors in Tirana are," he believes.

Baze condemned their language towards Kosovo's allies, adding that their every message was a "message of the war of the state of Kosovo against the US". According to him, they are like toxic waste, which must be disposed of in order to protect the environment from poisoning.

"Finally, and most importantly, their attacks on the US representatives in Pristina, Belgrade, or on the Special Envoy, Escobar, are serious state scandals, because they are identified with Albin Kurti as the Prime Minister of Kosovo. Each of their messages is a war message of the state of Kosovo against the USA. This is their only harmful significance that must be neutralized. They are like toxic waste that should be disposed of, otherwise, they poison the environment," Baze concluded.

Tomorrow: Enis Sulstarova, Kurti's Anthony Giddens