Jaksic: Blinken will probably ask Rama to try to influence Kurti

Political commentator and journalist Bosko Jaksic suggests that during his visit to Tirana, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will reaffirm the strength of the friendship with Albania, described in the State Department statement as a key partner for America's stability in the Western Balkans. Jaksic adds that another expectation from this visit could be for Blinken to seek a favor of good will from Edi Rama to influence Kosovo's Prime Minister Albin Kurti, as Kurti's actions have long been viewed unfavorably in Washington.

Jaksic notes that this is the first visit of a US Secretary of State to Albania in eight years, and it seems aimed at expressing American respect for the results Albania's policies have achieved in the region in recent years. Blinken, he emphasizes, will primarily support processes of reforms, institution-building, and judicial reform in Tirana, but he believes that the issue of Kosovo's security will undoubtedly be a significant part of the agenda.

"Prime Minister Edi Rama stated ahead of the visit that Blinken was coming to Tirana as a place dedicated to regional peace and praised US efforts, along with those of the European Union, for normalizing relations between Belgrade and Pristina. What could be expected and seems quite logical is the support America will seek from Edi Rama to influence Prime Minister Kurti, as Kurti's actions have long been viewed unfavorably in Washington, and it's known how much trouble his decisions, such as the abolition of the dinar as the latest in a series, create for American policy. So, Blinken will likely seek a favor of good will from Prime Minister Rama to try to influence Kurti. Whether he will succeed, considering Kurti's behavior, is another completely uncertain question to which there is currently no answer," Jaksic tells Kosovo Online.

Kosovo was not on Secretary Blinken's agenda, as announced by the State Department, and Jaksic links this to the US stance toward Serbia.

"It is evident that avoiding a visit to Pristina is a deliberate move because its repercussions would signify a negative stance toward Serbia. When we see that all international envoys dealing with Kosovo visit Pristina first and then Belgrade or vice versa, but they go to both locations, then going only to Kosovo would cause an imbalance that America does not want because it would lose its position toward Belgrade," Jaksic assesses.

The State Department announced on Friday that Secretary of State Antony Blinken would visit Tirana and Munich from February 14th to 17th. Blinken will participate in the Munich Security Conference as part of the US delegation led by Vice President Kamala Harris.