Kamberi: Despite criticism from Brussels, Kurti will continue shutting down Serbian institutions

Belgzim Kamberi, associate at the Musine Kokalari Institute, believes that despite criticism from the EU, Albin Kurti will continue shutting down Serbian institutions in northern Kosovo and that the only solution is a return to an effective dialogue that would lead to the integration of the Serbian community.

“We are in a situation that is no longer new. Kurti continues to assert his authority by closing what are called ‘parallel institutions of the Republic of Serbia’ in northern Kosovo. He is doing this unilaterally, through Kosovo’s institutions, while on the other side we have the international community insisting that this issue be resolved through the Kosovo–Serbia dialogue in Brussels. But the situation remains unchanged,” Kamberi told Kosovo Online.

He emphasized that the current situation is a sign of a crisis in the dialogue process.

“The Brussels dialogue is in crisis because the original idea was that the integration of Serbs, especially in the north, and the phasing out of Serbian institutions there, would be achieved through Kosovo–Serbia negotiations in Brussels. And that was the case until about two years ago. But since the dialogue has entered a crisis, these institutions are now being shut down ‘in the name of the rule of law, legal order, and so on…’. I believe the situation in the north is proof of a deep crisis in the dialogue,” Kamberi said.

This, he added, is also proof of inefficiency and the failure to implement what was agreed upon in Brussels and Ohrid.

“Until there is progress in implementing that agreement, I think we’ll continue to see the same pattern: on one side, the government of Kosovo will keep trying to integrate the north through legal means, while on the other, more Serbs from northern Kosovo will remain outside of the institutions. And on a third front, we will hear statements and declarations from European and Western diplomats calling for everything to be implemented within the framework of dialogue, but the situation on the ground will not change,” the analyst explained.

He believes this represents an “institutional vacuum” as well as EU inefficiency on the ground, and therefore concludes that the current administration in Pristina will continue shutting down Serbian institutions in northern Kosovo.

“The current executive authority in Pristina will continue its efforts to dismantle institutions operating under Serbia’s framework in Kosovo. This will continue until effective dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia resumes and the agreements reached in Brussels are implemented. Until then, the situation will persist,” Kamberi concluded.