Donic: The dual dynamic in Albania–Kosovo relations continues, with both criticism from Tirana and economic cooperation

Petar Donic, associate of the New Third Way, told Kosovo Online that during Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama’s new term, relations between Albania and Kosovo can be expected to function in the same way as before: Kosovo will continue pursuing its own set course, Albania will criticize that approach, while at the same time, due to the strong ethnic ties between the two peoples, economic cooperation will continue, with Albania playing the role of the “big brother.”

Donic said that relations between Albania and Kosovo had an interesting dynamic in the previous period.

“If we talk about the two leaders, Kurti and Rama, they didn’t really have a relationship. From Tirana, criticism was often directed at Pristina – that they should approach talks with Serbia in a completely different way, that they should accept the Community of Serb Municipalities and move that process forward. Those were generally the negative aspects. The positive ones were economic. They cooperated in the field of the economy, in energy, Kosovo’s exports to Albania increased dramatically, while exports from Albania to Kosovo slightly decreased. Croatia, Albania, and Kosovo signed a joint defense pact as a kind of response to the growing activity of Serbia’s military industry,” Donic noted.

He expects this kind of dynamic in relations to continue in the future. At the same time, he emphasized that Albania is now moving rapidly toward the European Union, which will definitely be its focus in the coming period. Because of this, he said, when it comes to European integration, Albania will likely make additional suggestions to Kosovo about what it should do, something already evident in Rama’s recent statement that Kosovo should focus on itself and its European path.

“This dual dynamic in relations will continue,” our interlocutor concluded.