Collaku: Macron's warning - Kurti's fault; the Government caused irreparable damage to Kosovo

Former Kosovo Minister for European Integration Bekim Collaku said that French President Emmanuel Macron's warning about the possibility of suspending the decision on visa liberalization for Kosovo was "very disturbing", stating that it was the fault of Prime Minister Albin Kurti.

"President Macron's warning regarding the possibility of suspending the start of the implementation of the visa liberalization decision is very worrying and another alarm for the Government, which is reluctant to meet the demands of the EU and the US to de-escalate the situation in the north of the country," Collaku told Nacionale.

He stated that Macron's statement should be seen as an additional measure of pressure on the government and Kurti, who refused to act rationally, but persistently applied populist tactics and tried to preserve "a handful of votes".

"This populist tactic has already been proven to be wrong and to the detriment of our interests," Collaku added.

He also stated that Kosovo had been the only one isolated in the region for more than a decade.

"Now that we are very close to the point when the suffering citizens would benefit from visa-free movement in the EU, we are faced with a warning or threat about the possibility of delaying the implementation of that decision. And the whole situation, which includes the EU sanctions that are in force and President Macron's warning, is happening because of Prime Minister Kurti's fault and mistakes. The EU must find ways to punish the Government and the Prime Minister for the wrong actions that fueled tensions and worsened the situation in the north of the country. The EU should only punish those responsible for the current chaos, but it should not punish innocent citizens by keeping them further isolated," Collaku said.

According to him, the demands of the EU and the US for the de-escalation of the situation in the north are clear, while the Government and Kurti deliberately did not fulfill those demands, and such an irresponsible approach irritates the EU and its member states.

"Tendencies of the authorities to manipulate or buy even more time with vague and half-hearted actions will not bring any benefit. So, until they fully comply with EU requirements, the sanctions will remain in place and we risk facing additional penalties. Kurti is aware that he accepted a bad deal for Kosovo, and in return, Kosovo did not benefit at all. As a result, the return to normality and the implementation of the agreement reached, do not at all coincide with the personal interest and the party led by Prime Minister Kurti. Unification and expanded autonomy for the Serbs, which is the basis of the Kurti-Vucic agreement, is a constant concern of Kurti and his party," Collaku said.

Therefore, when asked what the Government would have to do to avoid other punitive measures, he answered - to fulfill the EU's requirements and start implementing the agreement reached.

"Now the Government of Kosovo is required to fulfill three conditions for de-escalation of the situation set by the EU. So far, the Government has partially implemented only one condition. This Government tactic will fail and the pressure will only increase in the coming days," Collaku believes.

Asked when he expected the sanctions to be lifted, he said it depended on the Kosovo Government.

To the statement that "a new effort in the dialogue process" was expected in September, and whether that effort could bring something new, he replied that the experience so far in the dialogue process was proof that there could be progress.

"Let's not forget, we are talking about Kurti, who came to power saying that he would not negotiate with Serbia. His transformation within the dialogue is radical. Not only did he agree to negotiate, but he went even further with an agreement with Vucic. Now he left only the implementation of the Community of Serb-majority Municipalities (autonomy) and additional powers of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Kosovo. Whether Kurti will do something like that remains to be seen. I don't think that even he is clear about such a thing at this moment. What is clear is that this Government and the Prime Minister have caused irreparable damage to Kosovo on the international and internal level," Collaku said.