Jeremic: Statements by the German ambassador in Kosovo are a clear message to Kurti to come to his senses

Former FRY ambassador to Germany, Zoran Jeremic, stated that the latest remarks by the German ambassador in Pristina, Jorn Rohde, should be interpreted as open criticism of caretaker Prime Minister Albin Kurti, a message to “come to his senses”, and as a warning to other political actors that an “unacceptable degree of arbitrariness” in relation to EU demands will not be tolerated.

“I think this is primarily a message to Kurti that he must come to his senses and start listening to them more. It is obvious that he began doing many things on his own, which doesn’t suit them. While he was doing what they wanted and considered necessary, everything was fine,” Jeremic told Kosovo Online.

At the same time, he added, Rohde’s statements should also be understood as a clear signal to other political players in Kosovo.

“This is also a message to others: ‘If we remove Kurti, you too will have to listen to us, show a degree of understanding for our interests and positions, and refrain from pursuing a policy that runs counter to EU policy, the very values that the EU promotes and is striving to demonstrate as functional in Kosovo,’” Jeremic specified.

German ambassador Jorn Rohde has, on several occasions, criticized the current political situation in Kosovo, even saying that “perhaps it is time to change the team,” alluding to the formation of a new government.

He also made ironic remarks regarding the beginning of the construction of two new bridges between South and North Mitrovica.

Jeremic said such comments show that Germany considers the current caretaker government to be “frivolous.”

“The ambassador’s satirical statements indicate that they see this government as immature, frivolous, and too preoccupied with its own political calculations, having stopped paying attention to the interests of Kosovo’s citizens,” the former ambassador to Germany emphasized.

Therefore, Jeremic interprets Rohde’s statements as a kind of “warning” to Albin Kurti and to “disobedient elements” that Germany will not tolerate a policy that deviates from EU policy.

“This is clearly an attempt to warn both Kurti and these ‘disobedient elements’ who are pursuing their own policies, which are no longer aligned primarily with EU policy. Those currently in power are showing, in the eyes of the EU, an unacceptable degree of independence or arbitrariness in meeting the demands placed before them,” Jeremic explained.

He added that this is especially important for the EU and Germany at a time when the Kosovo issue is becoming an exclusively “European problem.”

“At a time when the US administration has other concerns, Kosovo is gradually becoming a European problem, specifically Germany’s problem, as it positions itself as the key player,” Jeremic assessed.

He also said that official Berlin is dissatisfied with the way Kosovo currently functions, since it is not a “state to their liking.”

“They don’t have a problem with Kosovo’s existence as a state, they recognize it as such, but they do have a problem with the fact that it is not a state to their liking. It doesn’t function the way they envisioned, but rather in a ‘Balkan manner,’ as they say pejoratively,” Jeremic stated.

For Germany, he added, a serious problem is that it views Kosovo as “its own child.”

“If their child is incapable of electing a parliament speaker after 55 sessions and finding a way to achieve a basic, normal, democratic agreement, then that is already a clear indicator that something is wrong,” Jeremic explained.