Burjani: Iraq may recognize Kosovo

Political analyst Blerim Burjani told Kosovo Online that it is possible Iraq might soon recognize Kosovo, but added that this decision will also depend on other countries in the East.

“It is expected that two countries may recognize Kosovo – Iraq and Syria. We will see how things develop with these countries, what their final positions will be, or whether we’ll need to wait longer. Turkey, which is helping Kosovo gain more recognitions, plays a key role in Syria,” Burjani says.

He believes that Kosovo has never had a clear foreign policy strategy regarding where to focus efforts to gain new recognitions.

“I think the targeting of countries wasn’t based on a concrete plan; it was done blindly, wherever chances seemed greater. Kosovo’s recognitions came thanks to the US, European countries, and the United Kingdom. More recently, lobbying by individuals from the opposition, such as Behgjet Pacolli and the President of Kosovo, led to two recognitions. Former minister Enver Hoxhaj is also active now, which is good, at least someone outside of government is working for the state and its citizens,” Burjani notes.

He adds that in the past, there were efforts for the Vatican to recognize Kosovo, and he expects renewed lobbying now that the new pope is from the United States.

“Now, foreign policy and individuals will turn toward the Vatican. If the Vatican recognizes Kosovo, it means we will see new recognitions from Latin American countries, at least four. But we will see how lobbying efforts go and how far they’ll get,” the analyst says.

Former Kosovo Foreign Minister Enver Hoxhaj recently met with former Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari at the Delphi Forum, and according to a statement he made, he conveyed during that meeting that “Iraq has no reason not to recognize Kosovo.”