Nazarko: The main reason for the cooling of relations between Albania and Kosovo is a different approach to the West

Analyst from Tirana, Mentor Nazarko, says for Kosovo Online that there has been a cooling in the relationship between the prime ministers of Kosovo and Albania, Albin Kurti and Edi Rama, but that this does not reflect on the level of cooperation between the two governments or on the cooperation between ministries. The main reason for such a relationship between the two prime ministers, in his opinion, is how Kosovo and Albania currently view their relationship with the West.

"The West is, in one way or another, a mediator in the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia, but also the main support for the Albanian people, i.e., Albania and Kosovo, in their aspirations for European integration and guardians of their sovereignties, especially in the case of Kosovo. In this context, Albania is more cooperative and more open to accepting the advice and recommendations of the West, while the current leadership of Kosovo does not have the same approach. In my opinion, this is the main cause of this 'coldness' between the two prime ministers," Nazarko says.

Albania, as he believes, is seeking Kosovo to be more cooperative with the West.

"In this sense, when Kurti was cooperative at the last meeting with the three heads of the European Union, accepting the draft statute of the Community of Serb-majority Municipalities, including the Ohrid and Brussels agreements, Rama applauded him. On the other hand, distancing between the two countries can also have a positive aspect because it can be interpreted that they are not acting according to the 'Greater Albania' scenario or something similar," Nazarko evaluates.

As he adds, the correct approach would be for Kosovo to show more understanding for the variants of agreements that were offered earlier, starting from the agreements offered by the Republican administration of former US President Donald Trump.