Sopjani: Without Washington's direct influence, Europe cannot reach a Serbia–Kosovo agreement

Lawyer and former Chief Inspector of the Kosovo Intelligence Agency (KIA), Shkelzen Sopjani, stated that he expects "significant steps" from the new US administration in the Western Balkans, and that without their more direct involvement, an agreement between Belgrade and Pristina should not be expected, because Europe won't be able to achieve it on its own.

“A political agreement between Serbia and Kosovo won’t happen without stronger, direct influence from Washington, because Europe won’t be able to bring the parties to a deal,” Sopjani told Kosovo Online.

Despite his belief that the Kosovo issue is resolved and that, aside from Serbia’s refusal to recognize it, there are no major outstanding disputes, he still expects increased involvement from the new US administration.

“Over the next four years of the Trump administration, I believe we’ll see some very significant steps, not only regarding Kosovo but the entire Balkan region. But I don’t think Kosovo is the problem. The real issue in the region is Bosnia. Kosovo is, more or less, settled, except for the northern part, which is also under control,” Sopjani said.

He is convinced that behind US President Donald Trump’s intention to end the war in Ukraine – as well as other global conflict zones – is a strategic desire to shift focus to China, which he views as the United States’ main rival.

“Trump’s return to the presidency represents a new momentum in international relations, particularly in Europe. Trump will focus more on China, and that is why he will try to resolve every possible conflict that might distract from that focus. The greatest threat to the US, both economically and in terms of security, is China. Trump wants to direct all his energy toward that and prevent China from overtaking America in projected power. That means we will likely soon see an agreement between Russia and Ukraine, because from what we can see now, that agreement would be more of a victory for America and Europe than for Russia itself,” Sopjani explained.

He rules out the possibility that the Kosovo issue could be resolved through an international peace conference, however, he does not rule out greater US involvement in the Western Balkans.

“I believe that when it comes to Kosovo, everything is resolved and there are no disputed issues, aside from Serbia, which does not recognize Kosovo, but I believe that will change,” Sopjani concluded.