Koka: I believe the Hague court's decision will recognize the merits of former KLA commanders

The Editor-in-chief of Syri TV in Tirana, Bledian Koka, said he believes that the decision of the international court in The Hague in the case of the former KLA leaders will be fair and will recognize the merits of the former KLA commanders.

Koka told Kosovo Online that the indictments were brought based on the unjust claims and views of former European Parliament member Dick Marty, and that time has shown that these were fabricated facts and that they were directly sponsored by Russia.

“The fog has lifted from these accusations. Even after all this smoke and these false facts, I certainly believe that the decision of the international court will be fair and will recognize the merits of the former commanders of the Kosovo Liberation Army. Whatever the court's decision may be, it will not tarnish the KLA's war. We will listen carefully, especially to the testimony of former NATO commanders from that time, who had direct ties and communication with the former KLA commanders. They gave their testimony and confirmed that the war was one of self-defense,” Koka said.

In his assessment, at the time when Hashim Thaci and former KLA commanders were involved in Kosovo politics, it was more stable, although, he says, it had its fluctuations. He believes that it was a politics of compromise which, when it realized that something could harm Kosovo, or that a political disagreement could harm Kosovo, would find a solution.

“I think the absence of Mr. Thaci from Kosovo politics, as well as that of other political actors, has had a major impact. They were very important figures on the political scene until they went to The Hague, and their absence confirmed that there is a lack of stability. So, they waged political battles, but when it came to issues that could hinder or harm Kosovo's further consolidation, they always showed tolerance. What is currently happening in Kosovo shows that perhaps figures such as former President Thaci and other KLA commanders are missing from Kosovo politics. It is difficult to demonstrate prudence and maturity in resolving deadlocks that are essentially about trivial political issues, and time is proving that this crisis is making Kosovo's international position more difficult with each passing day,” Koka said.

Given that those indicted in The Hague are also accused of killing Albanians who opposed them, Koka says that the internal issues between Albanians that are the subject of allegations in The Hague remain internal issues for Kosovo.

“It is the same as asking Serbia to resolve its internal political conflicts in an international court. This makes no sense from a logical or legal point of view. Therefore, I would like to separate these conflicts. I would like to separate the allegations concerning internal conflicts in Kosovo or anywhere else from questions concerning the uncovering of the truth about the views and actions of the former commanders of the Kosovo Liberation Army or former commanders of the Yugoslav Army,” the editor-in-chief of Syri TV said.