Rajic: Turkey views Kosovo as its sphere of interest, wants to form its army

Analyst Predrag Rajic believes that Turkey is Kosovo’s main patron, that Ankara considers this part of Europe its zone of interest, and that it is asserting influence over territories that were once part of the Ottoman Empire.

According to Rajic, Turkey has for years been one of Kosovo’s main sponsors.

“Let me remind you that back in 2008, when so-called Kosovo declared independence, Erdogan said that ‘a younger Turkish brother was born that day.’ So, I wouldn’t call this anything new, it is simply an escalation and the crossing of new lines. In the cooperation between Pristina and Ankara, Turkey now presents itself as the key and essential patron of so-called Kosovo, unlike Germany and the US, which have recently made some diplomatic decisions showing at least mild disapproval of Kurti’s behavior. We have seen, for example, Washington suspend preparations for the strategic dialogue with Pristina. Those are diplomatic gestures, verbal rather than substantive, but still, Turkey hasn’t criticized Kurti at all,” Rajic said.

He went on to add:

“I haven’t heard Turkey reproach Kurti for failing to establish the Community of Serb Municipalities, or disagree with his policies in any way. And I don’t think this is strictly about Kurti himself, it is part of Turkey’s broader Balkan policy. They want to help form the so-called Kosovo army, and as a military power, Turkey sees this part of Europe as its sphere of interest. Turkey has been on the rise in recent years, after Azerbaijan’s victory in the South Caucasus, where Turkey became the key regional player and pushed out Russia. The same thing is happening in Central Asia, and especially in the Middle East, where, after Assad’s fall and the rise of pro-Turkish forces, Turkey once again sidelined Russia. So Turkey is clearly reasserting itself politically, economically, and militarily across territories that once belonged to the Ottoman Empire,” Rajic explained.

Rajic also pointed to the agreement to build a factory in Kosovo where, according to the plan, both ammunition and drones will be produced.

“They already delivered Bayraktar drones last year, and now we see they’re delivering suicide drones and will be co-producing new ones. And that is not all, they have also been supplying light weaponry, anti-tank and anti-personnel systems, mines, and similar arms for some time now. So this has been going on for years. I’d say this is the most significant step so far, but Turkey’s strategic goal to be the key ally of Albanians in the Balkans, especially the Albanians in Kosovo and Metohija, remains unchanged. They have even expressed readiness to fill the vacuum that might be left if the Americans and Germans withdraw. Turkey is effectively signaling that, should Washington pull out completely, a scenario being discussed in the US, particularly under a possible Trump administration, it would be ready to step in and fill that space,” he said.

Commenting on the fact that Turkish General Ozkan Ulutas has once again taken command of KFOR, Rajic added:

“Their Sultan Murad base is now one of the most important in the entire region. And the very fact that, when they first arrived in 1999, they named their base after Sultan Murad tells you everything about how they tie all of this into a broader historical and symbolic context,” Rajic concluded.