Blazic: Spain has not recognized Kosovo due to separatist aspirations in the country

It is clear that Spain has not recognized Kosovo primarily because of its own interests and the separatist ideas and aspirations present within the country. This is why Albin Kurti’s claim that the Kosovo issue has nothing to do with Spain’s internal political situation is entirely unfounded, Marko Blazic, a researcher at the Center for Social Stability, told Kosovo Online.

Blazic emphasizes that countries that have not recognized Kosovo primarily did so to defend international public law. However, as he says, many of them have also resisted recognition despite strong pressure from the political West and Turkey because they face territorial disputes and separatist movements of their own.

"This is certainly the case with Catalonia in Spain. Albin Kurti is using certain arguments for his own interests, but this time, his claims are so disconnected from reality that it is obvious," Blazic stated.

Kurti made this statement in an interview with the Spanish newspaper ‘El Mundo,’ where he also called it paradoxical that Madrid has not yet recognized Kosovo, which opposes Russian influence, while maintaining a position close to Belgrade.

According to Blazic, the idea that Spain’s recognition of Kosovo would curb Russian influence in the Balkans may have had some weight in early 2022, at the start of the war in Ukraine, when certain countries were evaluating their stance on Russia, Ukraine, and sanctions.

"I’m not saying this would have been a decisive factor leading any country to recognize Kosovo, but it did carry some weight at the time. However, with Donald Trump’s return to the White House and the growing push to end the war in Ukraine as soon as possible, this argument no longer holds. Even Europe itself is now looking for ways to bring the Ukraine conflict to an end. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic’s policy of not imposing sanctions on Russia while condemning its aggression against Ukraine has, in a way, served as a starting point for peace negotiations. If we look at the peace plans for Ukraine, they contain elements of the policies pursued by Serbia," Blazic noted.

He adds that Kurti’s statements reflect Kosovo’s increasingly limited maneuvering space on the international stage. Kosovo currently finds itself in a difficult and powerless position following a series of diplomatic failures, including unsuccessful attempts to join the Council of Europe and Interpol, as well as the fact that 28 countries have withdrawn their recognition of Kosovo.

"All of this represents a series of very difficult and painful defeats for so-called Kosovo and Albin Kurti on the international stage. He is now channeling that frustration and resentment into actions on the ground, essentially taking revenge on our compatriots because of these failures," Blazic concluded.