Benjamin Kurti: Prime Minister Kurti’s mistake was not establishing good relations with Rama

Analyst Benjamin Kurti told Kosovo Online that the protest in support of former KLA leaders held in Tirana, supported by Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama, was a positive gesture for former Kosovo President Hashim Thaci, Kadri Veseli, and others currently detained by the Specialist Chambers in The Hague. He added that it was unfortunate that Kosovo’s caretaker Prime Minister Albin Kurti did not support the protest.

“Even if he didn’t attend the protest, he should have supported it and said, ‘We stand with these people.’ Kurti should have supported it, because the people who are there, in detention, are people from Kosovo,” the analyst said.

He noted that many people from Kosovo were present at the protest in Tirana on Friday.

“I saw thousands of people demanding justice in this case. Those in detention are people from Kosovo, and I believe they should be free because this is all politics. Prime Minister Kurti did not support the protest, but this is not about one individual, it’s about Kosovo, and everyone should support it, because doing so contributes to Kosovo’s future,” Kurti emphasized.

Speaking about the dispute between Rama and Kurti’s Self-Determination Movement over the protest, Kurti said that disagreements between Rama and Kurti have been ongoing for years.

“Since Kurti became prime minister, he and Rama haven’t had a good relationship as the prime ministers of Albania and Kosovo. I think Mr. Rama is a very good and strong politician. He enjoys the respect of all leaders. President Erdogan respects him, he has good contacts with Giorgia Meloni… I believe Kurti made a mistake by not establishing good relations with Mr. Rama,” Benjamin Kurti concluded.