Joksimovic: Every Hague court verdict has had a serious impact on the entire region

Aleksandra Joksimovic, Director of the Center for Foreign Policy in Belgrade, told Kosovo Online that every verdict delivered by courts in The Hague has always had a serious impact on the entire region, and that the decision of the Special Court expected in the coming months in the case of Hashim Thaci and three other former KLA leaders will primarily affect internal political developments in Pristina.

Speaking about whether the verdict will influence political or other aspects of relations between Serbia and Albania, which view the role of the KLA differently, Joksimovic says that the issue of relations toward Pristina is a constant problem for both Serbia and Albania, but that a way has been found to work around it.

“Serbia and Albania, as the English would say, have an elephant in the room, and that is the relationship toward Pristina. But I think a way has been found to bypass that problem, so that all other aspects of cooperation can develop properly, as needed for the region,” Joksimovic assessed.

She adds that she believes the verdict of the Special Court, whatever it may be, will also be interpreted in different ways.

“Everyone will interpret it in the way they see it. Will it resonate? Yes. But will it have any long term impact? I think not, because every such verdict has eventually been overshadowed, not forgotten, but overtaken by new political dynamics that cover whatever impact such a verdict had,” she said.

Joksimovic emphasized that relations between Serbia and Albania currently seem to have a new dynamic, considering the joint letter by the leaders of the two countries to the European Union.

“These relations have their own dynamics and fluctuations that are constantly shifting,” she concluded.