Maliqi: Kosovo Government and opposition should work together to secure release of KLA leaders

Gino Maliqi, a representative of the Texas-based organization “Albanians for America,” said that the Kosovo Government and opposition parties should set aside their political differences and work together to, as he put it, protect the four convicted KLA leaders.

“I hope and pray that the Kosovo Government and the opposition parties will come together and prepare a really strong legal case on how to proceed. I think this is a moment that will change Kosovo’s history in terms of how we move forward,” Maliqi said.

He believes that the protests over the judgment against the KLA leaders are justified and well organized.

Speaking about the possible political consequences of dissatisfaction with the Government’s response, Maliqi said that support for the convicted KLA leaders should not be viewed through the prism of party politics, but rather as “a matter of national interest.”

“I do not know whether this has anything to do with any particular political party. This has to do with Kosovo’s existence and with Kosovo as such. When it comes to national interests, we have a saying in Albania—we have no religion, no affiliation, no name. We fight for the rights of Albanians and the rights of Kosovo. That is why I think this is much more directly connected with the future of Kosovo and Albania than with any political party. This concerns everyone,” Maliqi said.

For that reason, he believes that the Kosovo Government must take every political and legal step available to support those convicted in The Hague.

“The Government must respond and protect these four liberators in every possible way. There is no time to wait until tomorrow. It must send a strong message that it stands behind our four heroes who have been charged and are now before the Court in The Hague. Every government must make this its number one priority,” Maliqi said.

He expressed hope that, following the election of the new President of Kosovo on October 6, the political parties would succeed in uniting around a common approach to the issue.

Speaking about Kosovo’s international position and the consequences of prolonged political instability, Maliqi pointed to changes in global geopolitical relations and said it was important for Kosovo to have a fully functioning government.

He claimed that, if Kosovo did not have a functioning government capable of protecting its interests, Serbia could attempt to exploit the situation to “change the international narrative about past events.”

“The next proxy actor closest to Russia and Iran is Serbia. If we do not have a fully functioning government that protects Kosovo and puts it first, that will allow Serbia to believe it has an opportunity to once again change the historical narrative about Kosovo, just as Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic attempted to do in his speech at the United Nations by changing the narrative about who was the aggressor and who was the victim,” Maliqi said.

He stressed that peace and economic development in the Western Balkans were crucial to the region’s future, expressing hope that future generations would live without wars.

“I think my children’s generation will be the first generation not to have gone through some form of war. The opportunity for this peaceful region to develop economically is the key to unlocking the potential of the entire Western Balkans, so that we can put an end to wars once and for all and turn toward the future and what this world has to offer,” Maliqi concluded.