Spahiu: Albanian parties declare their willingness to cooperate with the Serbs, but it’s different in practice

University Professor Nexhmedin Spahiu tells Kosovo Online that all Albanian political parties in Kosovo, even those that emerged from the war, declare their willingness to communicate and negotiate with the Serbian community, but the challenge lies in translating that into practice.

"I recently heard an interview with Ramush Haradinaj and Fatmir Limaj who precisely stated that it was in the interest of our society to do so, however, I see little evidence of that on the ground. I don't see anyone denying it, but I see a lack of inclination to implement it in practice," Spahiu notes.

When asked how much time it would take for politicians to move from words to actions, Spahiu responds that on this issue, political parties in the past had little support from international actors.

"Those who had real power here in Kosovo, namely the Americans, did not support such political parties or did so very little, just enough not to be considered against such ideas. It was a faint support, and if it had been stronger, then Kosovo society would have been stronger and progressed faster," Spahiu said.

Referring to the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina, Spahiu recalls that an agreement has already been reached within it, and it can be heard from Albin Kurti that he is ready to implement it and that he even offered to sign the agreement to President Aleksandar Vucic at the Security Council session, to which Vucic was not prepared.

"There might be parties that would implement this agreement on credit - so that Kosovo first forms the Community of Serb-majority Municipalities, and then expects Serbia to take action towards tacit recognition, but precisely because of such a stance, these parties do not gain support in Kosovo. Parties that have already stated that Kosovo should fulfill its obligations first and then wait to see what Serbia would do and whether the great powers would compel Serbia to do its part, due to such attitudes, have very low ratings in all polls and have lost supporters," Spahiu pointed out.