Kapchan: The Washington Agreement was largely about trade relations, Kurti’s policy was wrong

Senior Fellow of the Council on Foreign Relations and Professor of International Affairs at Georgetown University Charles Kapchan told Kosovo Online that the most important result of the Washington Agreement was its symbolism, rather than its actual practical consequences.

He also noted that the Washington Agreement was largely about trade relations, but if politics is not properly understood, trade and investments will not help. As he observed, the problem was that the policy under the leadership of Kosovo’s Prime Minister Albin Kurti was misguided.

Kapchan stressed that the number one symbolism of the Washington Agreement was that the United States was willing to get involved in resolving the long-standing conflict between Kosovo and Serbia.

“Number two is that progress can be achieved, that Pristina and Belgrade can in fact reach an agreement on something, even if it is economic in nature and not about broader political issues. But the problem is that since then nothing has really happened. In fact, I would say the process has moved backwards, despite the agreement put on the table by the European Union. Neither Belgrade nor Pristina were in a position to move the ball forward in the normalization process,” Kapchan explained.

He pointed out that the Washington Agreement was largely about trade relations, and that he does not believe trade can really make a difference.

“You have to get the politics right, and then economic integration can help achieve an agreement. But if you don’t get the politics right, trade and investments won’t help. And the problem is that politics under Prime Minister Kurti’s leadership was wrong. Kosovo, in a way, pursued a very nationalist policy. Kurti made some decisions about license plates, about mayors in the north who did not move forward with the Association of Serb-majority Municipalities, which in many respects set back Kosovo’s case in Europe and in the United States. People began blaming Pristina for the problem, while in many aspects it was Belgrade that was dragging its feet,” the professor assessed.

From a political perspective, he added, neither Pristina nor Belgrade were in a position to advance the agreement.

“And as a result, I think it will take renewed engagement by the Trump administration to get the process moving,” Kapchan opined.

Given that Trump, as he said, is interested in being a peacemaker and in brokering deals, he could once again get involved.

“Trump wants to be a peacemaker. He wants to be the one who makes deals. His main priorities are Gaza and the Middle East, and Ukraine. But he has also brought together parties from Africa, gathered Armenians and Azerbaijanis, claiming that he helped end conflicts, short conflicts between India and Pakistan, although the Indians were not too happy about that claim, and he has occasionally mentioned Kosovo and Serbia. So, given that Trump is interested in being a peacemaker and in making deals, he could now reengage, and I think it will take joint pressure from the U.S. and the European Union to encourage the parties in Belgrade and Pristina to make the tough compromises and concessions necessary to move the two countries not only toward economic normalization but also toward the greater prize, which is political normalization,” Kapchan said.

Much of this, he added, depends on whether Trump feels he has “breathing space,” since he is heavily engaged with Russia and Ukraine, with Israel, Gaza, the broader Middle East, and Iran, as they attempt to reach a new nuclear agreement.

“He is dealing with the rise of China and, as a result, Kosovo and Serbia do not immediately rise to the level of presidential attention, but they are clearly on Trump’s radar. He may see Kosovo and Serbia as ‘low-hanging fruit,’ an unresolved conflict in which he could make significant progress. And so, he may return to Ric Grenell, or other members of his team, like Steven Witkoff, and see if he can make some headway in the Balkans,” our interlocutor concluded.