Mitic: Osmani has a clear perspective on the political scene in Pristina, Washington counts on her

Senior research associate at the Institute of International Politics and Economics in Belgrade, Aleksandar Mitic, told Kosovo Online that if Vjosa Osmani is not re-elected, she certainly has a very clear perspective on the political scene in Pristina, and that she is primarily counted on in Washington and to some extent in Brussels.

“It is clear that Vjosa Osmani has become an actor on the political scene in Pristina who must remain in some position, whether official or purely political in the sense of leading a political party. There will probably be a very clear agreement regarding her future mission. Everything that has been done so far has been carried out in full coordination and in line with Albanian interests and the interests of their sponsors. I do not believe they will miss the opportunity to continue with a policy that they likely consider to have brought significant progress for their interests over the past few years. She is a very useful foreign policy pawn for the political West, for Turkey, for Saudi Arabia, she is useful for Kurti as well, and I do not believe he will easily give her up,” Mitic stated.

Speaking about her mandate over the past five years, he assessed that Osmani played a good role for Albanian interests in Kosovo.

“She presented herself as someone who, on the international stage, played the role assigned to her by mentors in the political West, in Turkey and Saudi Arabia, sponsors of the so called Kosovo independence, with the aim of legalizing and attempting to further legitimize so called Kosovo in the international community. In that, she was relatively successful, especially last year. With enormous assistance from Ankara, Riyadh, and Washington, there were recognitions by Syria, Kenya, Sudan, and the Bahamas, at least that is what was publicly claimed. The fact is that she made a positive step for Albanian interests in Kosovo and Metohija,” our interlocutor believes.

On the other hand, as he points out, Osmani also played an important role in attempting to balance between Berlin and Washington, since it is known that Albin Kurti is considered a German player and that he primarily enjoys German protection, while he has been criticized by the United States at least pro forma.

Osmani, Mitic says, absolutely played the American card, especially last year and at the beginning of this year, and clearly aligned herself with the United States.

“The two of them, Kurti and Osmani, played a game. It is clear that this was a coordinated performance that led to Vjosa Osmani being photographed behind Donald Trump at the inauguration of the so-called Board of Peace. Also, the role agreed upon with Kurti was that on the one hand Kurti would play the hardliner making unilateral and sharp moves on the ground and endure criticism, while on the other hand Osmani would act as someone softening that sharp edge in the international community, primarily in Brussels. And that led to certain results given the progress regarding the lifting of the so-called measures, which were in any case very minor against Pristina, but which were gradually diluted in part due to her actions,” Mitic assessed.

As he adds, it is a major question how significant Vjosa Osmani’s influence was domestically, since it is clear that Albin Kurti is the one pulling all the strings and that he is the one who decides what happens on the territory of Kosovo.

“All of this in no way absolves Vjosa Osmani of moral, and even criminal responsibility for the ethnic cleansing of Kosovo Serbs, for ethnic and institutional discrimination and for everything that has happened over these five years, which have truly been terrifying for Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija. She played very hard, without any particular sense for their interests. Apart from a few rhetorical instances, she has done nothing substantial to improve the status of Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija. She played very hard against Belgrade and, of course, very hard against Russia and China, which was expected within the narrative that exists in Pristina,” Mitic pointed out.