Spahiu: The opposition remains silent on dialogue with Belgrade because it does not concern them; they are preoccupied with securing positions

Political analyst Nexhmedin Spahiu told Kosovo Online that the Pristina-Belgrade dialogue is not being discussed during talks among Albanian political parties on the formation of new institutions because the opposition has no interest in the process. In the negotiations on forming the institutions, the opposition is interested only in securing positions, rather than in issues that are crucial to Kosovo’s future, he said.

“So far, they have blindly done whatever the Americans told them to do and have been obedient. Albin Kurti, on the other hand, has a policy of his own, regardless of whether it is right or wrong. I believe that his policy is not always in Kosovo’s interest—at times it even runs counter to Kosovo’s interests—but it is nevertheless his own policy,” Spahiu said.

Asked whether the opposition parties, if they were in a position to decide, would submit the European draft Statute of the Community of Serb Municipalities (CSM) to the Constitutional Court for review or propose an alternative solution, Spahiu replied that they would do so if the Americans instructed them to submit the draft.

He believes that the opposition refrains from expressing a position on the issue because it has no real interest in it and perhaps because the Americans are not “whispering” to them what they should say.

“The Americans always work with those who are in power, not with those in opposition. So, if they do not tell them what they should do, they simply do not know what to do,” Spahiu believes.

As he adds, the opposition remains silent on the dialogue because it simply does not concern them.

“To a great extent, Kosovo’s interests do not concern them either, even though Kosovo’s most important national interest is how it positions itself vis-à-vis Serbia and how it shapes its relations with Serbia. That should be the highest priority for all citizens and for Kosovo’s political class, yet they are not particularly concerned about it. What concerns them is how to secure positions,” Spahiu concluded.