Spahiu: Whoever controls Kosovska Mitrovica controls all of Kosovo

Political analyst Nexhmedin Spahiu stated that Kosovska Mitrovica has greater geopolitical and strategic importance than Pristina, and told Kosovo Online that whoever controls this city controls all of Kosovo.

“Kosovska Mitrovica is the natural capital of Kosovo. The two largest rivers, the Ibar and the Sitnica, meet precisely in Mitrovica, and there are two additional rivers, four in total. Because of this, the city is the most geopolitically and geostrategically important in Kosovo. This is why whoever controls Mitrovica controls all of Kosovo,” Spahiu says.

He notes that winning the local elections in South Mitrovica is not important only to Albin Kurti, and adds that having power over Mitrovica is more important than having power over Pristina.

“It is not important only to Albin Kurti. The same was true when Hashim Thaci was prime minister. He wanted to secure control over Mitrovica at all costs. So it is completely clear why this city is so important. It is more important to have power over Kosovska Mitrovica than over Pristina,” our interlocutor stresses.

Spahiu, however, says that the increased voter turnout in the second round has nothing to do with any special interest Albin Kurti may have in South Mitrovica.

“The increased turnout happened because individuals who appear on television every night, and who are disliked by the public, were on the side of the PDK candidate. This triggered defiance among people to turn out and vote, even though they did not do so in the first round,” he says.

He adds that Self-Determination’s victory in South Mitrovica will not in itself have any impact on the north, where Serbs are the majority population.

“Relations between the mayors of North and South Mitrovica were normal only when the mayor of South Mitrovica was Agim Bahtiri from Pacolli’s party, and on the northern side Goran Rakic. During the PDK period, when Bedri Hamza was mayor, there was no contact at all between the southern and northern municipalities. I hope that the new mayor will be wiser and establish relations with the northern municipality, because it is in the interest of both municipalities for their mayors to cooperate,” Spahiu concludes.