Baraliu: The Kosovo Government needs to improve foreign relations, it cannot be done without lobbying

Mazllum Baraliu, a professor of Constitutional Law at the University of Pristina, believes that the current Kosovo government needs to improve its foreign relations, as Kosovo's position in the international community has deteriorated, and he says that the lobbying efforts by Kosovo's Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the US are entirely legitimate with that goal.

Baraliu notes that there have been statements from the US State Department, American ambassadors in the region, as well as the US ambassador to Kosovo, Jeffrey Hovenier, indicating that some decisions made by the Kosovo government were not fully coordinated with the international community and the US, and If that is the case, he says, then Kosovo "needs to make some improvements."

"It cannot be done without lobbying. It is not a sin. Lobbying is a completely normal practice in the West and in America. It is the legitimate right of every country. However, it shouldn't be done, as reported in the press, in the way that some previous Kosovo governments lobbied and provided funds to influential figures abroad to push for the disintegration of the country. There have been such lobbying efforts involving joint circles from Kosovo, Serbia, Albania, and some intelligence services. Serbia spends millions on lobbying. It is entirely normal for every country to lobby to improve its international position or to diminish someone else's position, as Serbia did with the de-recognitions of Kosovo," Baraliu stated.

He thinks that Kosovo, like other countries in the Balkans, cannot isolate itself or consider itself a key factor capable of doing whatever it wants or whatever suits a particular government at a given moment.

"External factors from certain centers of power are watching over us. This watchful eye is vigilant 24 hours a day, so we must understand that we are neither free nor powerful enough, especially small countries like Kosovo and Serbia, to act independently toward others as key players or defenders of certain ideologies. We must be disciplined toward the centers of power and coordinate with them. If we don't, it will backfire on any country, especially smaller ones," Baraliu said.

According to data published by Radio Free Europe, citing documents from the US Department of Justice's website, Kosovo's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Diaspora paid around $277,000 to two companies for lobbying in the US from July of last year to January 2024.