Rankovic: Osmani skilfully uses Kurti's conflict with the West

Researcher at the Institute for European Studies, Petar Rankovic, assesses that the relationship between Kosovo's president and prime minister is evidently strained, and Vjosa Osmani's "diplomatic offensive" should be interpreted not only as her commitment to further Euro-Atlantic integration of Kosovo but also as her "skillful use" of the fact that the West disapproves of Albin Kurti’s unilateral actions.

“In the past few months, we have seen a certain level of distrust and even avoidance of official meetings with Albin Kurti. On the other hand, President Osmani skillfully uses this to criticize the official policy conducted in Pristina. But we must be fair and emphasize that their policies regarding the formation of the Community of Serb Municipalities, the rights of Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija, the protection of the cultural heritage of the Serbian Orthodox Church, and the use of the dinar are completely identical. So, the differences are only of a technical nature regarding how certain things should be implemented, but fundamentally, when we talk about goals and final solutions, they are entirely the same,” Rankovic told Kosovo Online.

According to him, it is noticeable that the relations between the president and the prime minister are evidently strained, but this is also evident in the relations within the government.

“This speaks to the relationships between the ministers in the government, considering that we now actually see various statements suggesting that Kosovo is no longer a reliable partner for the EU and the US. Officials, especially those from opposition political parties, are racing with such statements, but representatives of the non-governmental sector also say that Kosovo is no longer a reliable and stable partner for the US,” Rankovic said.

He reminds that this is evidenced by the increasingly frequent statements from the ambassadors of France, the United Kingdom, and the US in Pristina that such foreign and internal policies are not good for the citizens of Kosovo.

“These pressures are increasing, but I am not sure they will bear fruit and lead to a change in the official course of the Kosovo government on all these issues,” Rankovic emphasized.

He particularly highlights the recent warning from US Ambassador Jeffrey Hovenier that Albin Kurti's policy is not entirely consistent with the interests of the United States and the European Union.

“The main problem is the non-signing and non-implementation of the Community of Serb Municipalities on one hand, and on the other hand, the institutional vacuum created after the ban on the use of the dinar and the inability of people to receive salaries and pensions, which has led to an escalation of the situation and the fact that Western partners now perceive Kurti differently,” Rankovic stressed.

He adds that the key question is whether a new Kosovo government could offer better solutions, as according to all surveys, Kurti’s popularity has never been higher, raising the question of what would change with potential elections.

“It is predicted not only that he would retain the number of seats in parliament, but that the number of MPs would actually increase. So, the question is how this whole situation would be resolved. What is certain is that President Osmani wants to impose her agenda in some way. But given that the institutions and the political system are such that it is actually the government that leads the policy, she cannot do much regarding the implementation of the already achieved solutions in the Brussels and Ohrid agreements. It is the government that deals with this, and the fact is that there is no will in the government, particularly from its prime minister, to address all the obligations of the so-called Kosovo from the Brussels dialogue and the dialogue continued in Ohrid,” Rankovic concluded.