Savic: It is more important to Kurti to expel the Serbs from Kosovo than to attract foreign investors

Instead of working on attracting foreign investments and improving the lives of citizens, it is more important to Albin Kurti to expel as many Serbs as possible from Kosovo, Ljubodrag Savic, a professor at the Faculty of Economics in Belgrade, says for Kosovo Online.

Commenting on the statements made by the Kosovo Prime Minister, who on the one hand calls for foreign investors while on the other warns of alleged dangers of Serbia provoking war, Savic points out that investors have the opportunity to choose and eliminate any destination they have doubts about.

"That is probably clear to Mr. Kurt, he certainly knows that, but from our perspective, that is the case, whereas from his perspective, it is probably different. At this moment, he has one single goal, and that is for Kosovo to become independent, to be recognized, if possible, by Serbia as well. And in pursuit of that goal, he hesitates at no measures, that's how I understand it. Of course, investments are important to him, but I think at this moment, his priority is actually to achieve that goal with as few Serbs in Kosovo as possible. They probably can't expel everyone, and they will take all measures in that regard. Whether some investor chooses another destination is not important to him at this moment. What matters is for him to achieve this primary goal, counting on compensating for it later when, as they say, Kosovo becomes a free, independent state," Savic explains.

While such rhetoric from Pristina damages the economy of Kosovo, the fact remains that Serbia leads in the number of foreign direct investments. Savic explains that Serbia, in this part of Europe, is the country that is building the most highways, which is one of the key factors for people to opt for an investment, both domestic and foreign.

"You can provide capital, you can provide a workforce, especially today. Even if it's not available, it will come from Asia, from other destinations. It might even be more disciplined and cheaper, but you can't do anything without infrastructure. So that is one of those decisive factors that influence the arrival of investors," Savic says, adding:

"In 2014, Serbia passed an investment law, for the first time after World War II, which equalizes domestic and foreign investors. I remember a sentence that President Vucic said a few years ago at a summit: 'We are fighting for the arrival of foreign investors, our biggest competition comes from the Western Balkan countries.' He then said, 'Whatever they offer you in any of these countries, come to us, we will make better conditions for you.' Therefore, a fairly good climate has been created for foreign investors, and they are welcome, primarily by the authorities, I would say, and by local communities as well. So, it's a general atmosphere that has several factors and favors foreign investments, which is why they ultimately come to Serbia," Savic concludes.