Rajic: Turkey has significant influence in Kosovo, but Ankara doesn't firmly support just one side

Support from Turkey to Kosovo is reflected not only in military and political assistance but also in strong cultural and economic ties between Turks and Albanians, Predrag Rajic from the Center for Social Stability emphasized, highlighting that these elements significantly contributed to Pristina's confidence in the international arena.

However, he stresses that we should not overlook the respect that Belgrade deserves from Ankara and the fact that Turkey respects Serbia's national interests, thus "not firmly supporting just one side."

"When the Albanians in Pristina declared independence of so-called Kosovo in 2008, Erdogan stated that on that day the younger Turkish brother had been born," Rajic said to Kosovo Online, emphasizing that Ankara consistently nurtured such a policy.

He emphasizes that from this element of religious affinity, other elements of cultural connectivity arise, and consequently, political alliances between the two peoples.

"For example, we often mention Sokollu Mehmed Pasha, who was a grand vizier and of Serbian origin. Albanians have four such figures in their history, four grand viziers who were ethnically Albanian. Not to mention that Albanians, especially those living in Kosovo, have largely embraced Islam, which is again an important connection. We have seen throughout history in our region that wars can often be religious," Rajic emphasized.

He assesses that Albanians have been investing in their connection with Turkey for years, adding that there is also a significant part of the Albanian diaspora from Kosovo, North Macedonia, and Albania residing in Turkey.

He also recalls that Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama, since coming to power, has been diligently and thoroughly working to approach Turkey, relying on two pillars of his foreign policy - the West in a broader sense, primarily the United States, the EU, and Italy on one side, and Turkey on the other.

In addition to the cultural pattern, Rajic points out that the relations between Turks and Albanians intertwine through strong economic ties and military cooperation.

"It has often happened that in some international missions, Albanian soldiers were under Turkish command, and they themselves later said that they had felt most comfortable and natural at the time," Rajic noted.

He recalls that Turkey participated in the bombing of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in 1999 and supported Kosovo's secession even before President Erdogan, indicating a continuity in Ankara's official policy.

According to his words, it is obvious that there is a consensus in Turkish society that efforts should be made to strengthen Albanian capacities, and that Albanians, along with Bosniaks, are certainly the most important allies in this part of Europe.

"When you ask Albanians which nation they feel close to and which nation is important to them, all those who are of the Islamic faith will surely say the Turks, and I assume that even the Turks who are involved in this region will certainly look at Albanians with sympathy," Rajic said.

He emphasizes that Turkey has been lobbying fiercely, and continues to do so, for Kosovo in some periods, reminding that it is no secret that some Muslim countries have recognized Kosovo's declaration of independence precisely under that influence.

"It is not a secret, for example, that Pakistan recognized the so-called Kosovo and its unilateral declaration of independence under the influence of Turkey, and that Egypt, before Sisi came to power, during Morsi's time, recognized the so-called Kosovo under the influence of Turkey. These are two major and important states in the Islamic world, and Turkey has made efforts to secure support for Kosovo in that part of the world, not just in the political West," Rajic pointed out.

He observes that Turkey's influence is significant in Kosovo, and Pristina relies heavily on that side, which it will continue to do in the future, both militarily, politically, and economically.

He pointed out that even if the US made an isolationist decision to withdraw from Kosovo, the Turks would not do so. They are, he emphasizes, more militarily present in Kosovo than the US.

"As much as they fit it into a broader context, politically, culturally, and historically, the fact that as soon as they came to Kosovo when they formed their military base within KFOR, they named it Sultan Murat, which is a fairly clear message," Rajic said.

He concluded that Turkey's support for Kosovo boosts Pristina's confidence on the international stage, adding that at times, elements of the Albanian political elite in Kosovo see Ankara as more of an ally than Berlin or Washington.

"Despite Kosovo's orientation towards the US, there is an element that is clerical in their elite and is based on Islamic tradition and has not accepted the policy that Rugova, for example, tried to promote, that all Albanians should convert to Christianity to integrate more easily into Europe. Instead, they have remained true to the old traditions from the time of the Ottoman Empire. They rely politically very much on Turkey, and in that context, they are pleased with the fact that Turkey today is far more serious and influential in the region than it was twenty years ago," Rajic pointed out.

Commenting on the relationship between Serbia and Turkey, Rajic emphasizes that Ankara and Belgrade maintain good relations, primarily based on strong economic cooperation.

"Turkey invests a lot, especially in those areas that are strategically very important to us, such as those towards Kosovo, which have been facing the problem of depopulation for decades if not centuries. In this context, Turkey wants to listen to the Serbian position and wants to invest here, and economic cooperation to be stronger than it has been," he noted.

He also notes that Turkey has had a fairly constructive role in recent years in Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as in the Sandzak region, where our fellow citizens of Bosniak nationality reside.

Thanks to Turkey, as he assesses, the relations between Serbs and Bosniaks are at a very high level, and there is a high degree of integration of Bosniaks into Serbian society, which, he points out, has not always been the case.

He recalled that President Erdogan when visiting Novi Pazar and Belgrade, had sent messages that Serbia should be a strong state and an integrative society that would provide a good framework for the development of relations between Serbs and Bosniaks.

"Our policy is indeed such that all ethnic groups can develop freely in accordance with the highest global standards, and that is a fact, but Turkey's policy in this region is ambiguous. They support Albanian interests in Kosovo, that is clear, but on the other hand, they often played a stabilizing role in the rest of the region and Sandzak, as well as in Bosnia and Herzegovina, advising, especially Bakir Izetbegovic and official Sarajevo, not to escalate tensions with Republika Srpska," Rajic said.

Serbia and Turkey have their specific historical legacy from the previous period, from which messages should be drawn, Rajic emphasizes, pointing out that it is important to insist on the elements that connect the two countries because a good part of Serbian culture has Oriental origins.

"The fact is that this part of our identity is something we have built in relation to the Turks and there are elements that bind us, not just those that historically divide us. I believe we should always insist more on the elements that connect us, to connect culturally as much as possible, economically, where we have already made significant progress, and then stronger political and economic ties will emerge from that, and ultimately Turkey will take even more into account what the Serbs have to say, which it already does," Rajic believes.

He emphasizes that Serbia, under the leadership of President Aleksandar Vucic, has become the pivot of the region and an indispensable factor, which is well known in Ankara, so they always take Belgrade's stance into account.

"This does not mean that they will change their strategic course in the Balkans and change something that has been their policy for centuries, specifically when it comes to relations with Albanians, but it means they will consider our interest and will not rigidly always take only one side, especially not when it is at the expense of our vital national interests. It is precisely in that maneuvering space, which may not be too large, that we should seek our opportunity when it comes to relations with Turkey," Rajic concluded.