Markovic: Ahtisari's legacy on minority rights in Kosovo does not function today

Political scientist Igor Markovic from the NGO "Aktiv" said for Kosovo Online on the death of former Finnish President and former UN Envoy for Kosovo's status, Martti Ahtisaari, that his legacy existed in Kosovo's laws, but it was questionable whether it actually functioned or was ignored.

"Ahtisaari will be remembered as a person who received the Nobel Peace Prize for merits that are not adequate for such a title. In Kosovo and among the Kosovo Albanians, he will also be remembered as someone who created a framework for the protection of the rights of minority communities in Kosovo. He practically became the designer of the constitution that was later accepted when Kosovo declared independence," Markovic believes.

He points out that Ahtisaari's plan was adequate at the time when Serbia actually believed it had enough maneuvering space to negotiate better conditions for the Kosovo Serbs.

"However, from today's perspective, it is obvious that this plan should have been accepted because it, in some way, at least institutionally, guaranteed some basic rights for the Serbs and a kind of, if not autonomy, at least at the municipal level, protection of their rights and the possibility of managing those areas of everyday life that are important for the community," he said.

Responding to the question of whether it would have been better if Ahtisaari's plan had been accepted, Markovic points out that it's challenging to have "hindsight" from the current perspective.

"It is obvious that the plan should have been accepted at the time. On the other hand, we see that the mechanisms integrated into Kosovo's laws, which provide for the protection of the rights of minority communities, clearly do not function. It is very difficult to judge whether the Serbian side was right to reject this plan at the time, but what is certain is that his legacy certainly exists today, but it is questionable whether it actually functions when we consider that all those protective mechanisms that should safeguard the rights and interests of the Serbian community either do not function or are ignored," Markovic concluded.