Kurti says his differences with the US are on a “patriotic level”: Regarding Serbia and its structures – he doesn’t mention the attacks on the justice system

Kurti says his differences with the US are on a “patriotic level”: Regarding Serbia and its structures – he doesn’t mention the attacks on the justice system

Last week, it was announced that the country’s main ally, the United States, has indefinitely suspended the planned strategic dialogue with Kosovo. The reason for this was clearly stated to be due to concerns about the actions of the acting government of Albin Kurti. This blow to the government and Kurti was widely considered one of the most serious situations in relations between Kosovo and the US, for which the leader of Vetëvendosje was again criticized, writes Gazeta Express.

While in the following days, various analyses and opinions were given about which actions of Kurti may have led the US to this decision, one of the acting prime minister’s people linked America’s decision to the government’s attacks on the justice system.

It was the acting Minister for Returns and Communities, Nenad Rashic, who made this connection, and even said that he had been warned about it by the Chargé d’Affaires at the American Embassy, ​​Annu Prattipati. Rashic also stated that the decision is mainly related to criticism of the Constitution.

Despite a wave of reactions and positions that raised concerns about Kosovo-US relations, Kurti, on the other hand, today during a speech declared himself indifferent to the situation, saying, among other things, that “we have not broken with America, but we have some differences.”

“Regarding the announcement from the US embassy last week, first of all, we want to clarify for our citizens that this is about the suspension of the planning for the Strategic Dialogue, not the Strategic Dialogue as a process that has been launched, nor the regular communication that we have. We have not broken with America, but we have some differences,” he said.

The VV leader, in his statement, assessed that, according to him, the issue of the US decision is being ”exaggerated” by the opposition, giving the guarantee that the government treats the US statements and positions seriously.

While making these comments, Kurti cited the diplomatic aspect as the reason for the US decision. To this, Kurti said that in this regard, they and the country’s biggest ally have ”some differences and they very often have to do with our positions in relation to Serbia and actions against its illegal structures in Kosovo”.

”Although the opposition is exaggerating in a negative light every incident regarding our government’s relations with the American government, I do not want to minimize recent developments. I assure our citizens that our government takes the statements and positions of the American embassy seriously. Throughout our mandate, we have been committed to strengthening our relations and partnership with the United States of America in three main pillars: diplomacy, defense, and development. In the diplomacy pillar, we have some differences, and they very often have to do with our positions in relation to Serbia and actions against its illegal structures in Kosovo. While we agree on values, interests, and goals, sometimes we do not even agree on operational and tactical issues. Despite all these difficulties in this pillar, there is undoubtedly substantial progress in the other two pillars, defense and development. Military cooperation is continuing, and the purchase of equipment and ammunition with the current administration is going even better. “While in the development pillar, our government removed the 10% tariff on products originating from the United States of America, the new administration there continued the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) Compact program for the Republic of Kosovo,” he stated.

 Unlike Kurti, former US ambassador to Kosovo, Jeffrey Hovenier, cited other reasons.

The latter, although he initially assessed that the US decision came as a result of an ”accumulation of frustrations”, the ”tip that filled the cup” were precisely the attacks that Kurti and the rest of the government are making directly to the Constitutional Court.

“From the perspective of any observer, this seemed incompatible with the principles of a good democracy, with the protection of the independence of the courts and with respect for the court’s ability to make decisions,” he said, among other things.

Although the US reaction that came through this decision was the most severe blow to Kurti’s government, there were also similar ones from other allies of Kosovo.

It is also the German embassy that has called for such attacks to be stopped and not to happen.

“We call on all political actors and institutions in Kosovo to respect the Constitutional Court and all judicial independence and to refrain from any interference, including personal attacks,” the response states.

The German embassy also called for the independence of the Constitutional Court to be respected. /Express newspaper