Donic: Osmani is trying to win over Trump through business, the question is how realistic that is

Petar Donic, a member of the "New Third Way," says that Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani, during her tour in the United States, attempted to pave the way for economic cooperation with Donald Trump’s administration, but he is quite skeptical about Kosovo’s actual economic potential to meet Washington’s expectations.

“Albanians, whether from Kosovo or Albania, have always known how to lobby with the Americans and have built their political position by doing so from very early on – unlike the Serbian side,” Donic told Kosovo Online.

However, according to him, a large part of that political capital has been invested in relations with the Democratic Party.

“Now, with Trump’s return and the major changes he has brought – along with the threat of even bigger changes concerning various funds and organizations – they need to reassess what currently aligns with Republican interests. Trump has introduced a very straightforward agenda – trade and deals,” Donic explained.

He believes all of Osmani’s statements can be seen as an attempt to use the business narrative to draw in Republicans and Trump, in hopes of gaining a more favorable view of Kosovo.

He emphasizes that Trump is a businessman and has expressed business interests through politics, but remains skeptical when it comes to Kosovo.

“How realistic is that? When it comes to arms, not much. And I am not aware of any significant deposits of rare minerals, or that exploitation of such deposits has even begun in Kosovo,” he says.

On the other hand, he notes that rare minerals have become an important factor in American foreign policy.

“We have seen that a lot of things in Ukraine have also revolved around rare minerals. It truly is the new oil of the future. So, in a political sense, it makes sense. But how realistic is it – that is highly questionable. These are very large investments that span several decades. The question is whether it is realistic to expect them to materialize within two, three, or four years. A mineral processing plant would only make sense if extraction were happening nearby,” Donic concludes.