Maliqi: Government's major failure with the CoE; it would have been a gateway to Kosovo's UN recognition

Analyst Shklzen Maliqi tells Kosovo Online that Kosovo has not succeeded in completing its statehood in the 17 years since declaring independence and that a major failure was missing the opportunity to join the Council of Europe last year.

"Membership in the Council of Europe would have been almost a gateway to recognition in the United Nations, as EU member states that do not recognize Kosovo would have voted as well," Maliqi stated.

He emphasizes that Albin Kurti refused to submit the European proposal for the statute of the Community of Serb Municipalities to the Constitutional Court for review, which he considers a major government failure.

"They couldn’t secure a single new recognition, and the dialogue process is blocked, even though on paper, most issues are more or less resolved," he added.

When asked whether new geopolitical circumstances would favor Kosovo, Maliqi said it remains a big question "due to the chaos caused by the US administration, not only economically but also in political relations."

"The question is whether NATO will survive, whether there will be other upheavals, when the war in Ukraine will end… There are many uncertainties, and anything can happen," Maliqi said.

Regarding the Western Balkans, he believes no major new turbulence should be expected.

"The problems here are more internal, in Serbia, here in Kosovo, in Bosnia, and in Macedonia. These remain crisis hotspots, but things have, in a way, been localized," Maliqi concluded.