Kalemaj: Kurti is aware that he is going to elections, knows he will be the guy who didn't accept the CSM

Albanian analyst and professor at the Faculty of Political Sciences in Tirana, Ilir Kalemaj, stated that the responsibility for the cancellation of the joint session of Kosovo and Albania's governments actually lies with Kosovo's Prime Minister, Albin Kurti, and that Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama, after talks with the EU High Representative, Josep Borrell, proposed a meeting in a smaller format.

"I am usually critical of Rama, but on this occasion, I support his position because it is more rational and also because he advocated for the de-escalation of the crisis in northern Kosovo, giving the impression that he is in line with the international community, the EU, and the US. What he said about Kosovo facing a crisis, of course, Kurti is responsible for that because he is the head of the government, and he should de-escalate the situation in a way that aligns with the Ohrid Agreement, which opened the way for the normalization of relations between Serbia and Kosovo. The Ohrid Agreement is fully in line with Brussels and Washington," Kalemaj says.

Kalemaj mentions that due to such a stance, Rama faces criticism from Kosovo, as well as from the opposition in Albania, which accuses him of "selling out Kosovo" and "taking the side of Vucic," with whom he co-initiated the Open Balkan project.

However, he reminds that Kurti and Rama have never had a good relationship, that there has never been any "chemistry" between them, and that they have been rivals regarding the relationship between Kosovo and Albania.

"This has nothing to do with ideology because Kurti is a leftist, and Rama is also a leftist, and it would be normal to expect them to support each other, but they don't do that. They have never had a good relationship," Kalemaj said.

Kalemaj suggests that Kurti may be right from a moral standpoint regarding the situation in northern Kosovo, but at the same time, it is not the right moment to insist on the current stance.

"Okay, we had elections, the elections were accepted, okay, they are not legitimate, but we need to send people who won in those municipalities to introduce some sort of order, and then we can discuss new elections and all other topics. On the other hand, the timing is not right, the circumstances are not right, he did not consult with international partners, and in a way, he is sabotaging the Ohrid Agreement, just as much as Vucic," Kalemaj believes.

Kalemaj also added that the current situation is related to the internal political conditions in Kosovo and Serbia.

"Personally, I think Kurti is either out of touch with reality, which I don't think is the case, or he is behaving as if he is in an election campaign because he knows he is definitely going to elections. He knows he will be the guy who didn't accept the CSM. He will lose the elections, but the coalition of Albanian parties that will win the elections will have to sign the CSM and will be accused of betrayal by Kurti and his supporters, so Kurti will come back to power again in a few years. He doesn't want to be the guy who signs the CSM, but Vucic also doesn't want to be the guy who signed Kosovo's independence. Both of them are moving towards the same goal," Kalemaj concluded.