Andoni: The unification of Albanian parties in Montenegro will not produce any major results

Political analyst from Tirana Ben Andoni stated that he does not believe the recent unification of the three main Albanian political parties in Montenegro will produce any major results, particularly because Albanian influence there is not very significant from a demographic standpoint.

“Some Albanians have left and continue to leave Montenegro, and Albanian influence there is not particularly large from a demographic perspective. This union will help the interests of this group because they will no longer be harmed by their internal conflicts and will be able to function at the local level, while it will be very difficult for them to exert influence within the central government. I believe that the opportunity that was given to (former Prime Minister Dritan) Abazovic will be very difficult to repeat,” Andoni told Kosovo Online.

Andoni said it appears that Albanians in Montenegro have begun to adopt a more pragmatic approach to politics and, in addition to recognizing the need for greater strength in order to gain local power, have started to understand the advantages of unity among themselves, especially since Montenegro is expected to become the first Western Balkan country to join the European Union.

“As part of the European Union, the nationalist card will inevitably lose its significance, or at least become much less important. For Albanians, pragmatic alternatives will become more important,” Andoni said.

He stressed that official Tirana has people in Montenegro with whom it communicates, particularly on cultural and political matters, but that Albanians there have traditionally begun to distance themselves from both Albania and Kosovo.

“This is primarily because the country in which they live is more advanced than Albania or Kosovo, and the second reason is that their main interests lie within Montenegro itself. I believe that is why the call for unification came from them rather than from outside Montenegro. They understand that they can derive significant benefits from this integration. If you look closely, Montenegro and Albania have been offered projects as if they were already part of the European Union, even though they are not yet members, and these people understand that the benefits will otherwise accrue only to part of the political establishment, so they are fighting to ensure that their community benefits as well,” the analyst said.

In his view, the unification does not entirely correspond with claims that the initiative is primarily intended to secure a better future for Albanians as a whole.

“That is because only three political forces have joined, while there are other Albanian political parties that have refused to become part of it,” Andoni said.

The three key Albanian parties in Montenegro – the Democratic Alliance of Albanians, the Albanian Alternative, and the Albanian National Union – merged at the end of May into a new political entity, the Albanian Forum.