Tensions between the two neighbors are regularly high, and any escalation could give Russia an opportunity to destabilize his country.
Kosovo and Serbia must “normalize” their relations, Kosovo’s Prime Minister Albin Kurti told AFP on Wednesday, just days ahead of parliamentary elections in which he is seeking to extend his mandate with stronger support.
Kurti has been in office since 2021, and previous agreements signed with Serbia—which does not recognize the independence of its former province—have yet to be implemented.
“We must normalize relations with Serbia. But normalizing relations with a neighboring authoritarian regime that does not recognize you, and that also does not acknowledge the crimes committed during the war, is quite difficult,” he said.
Tensions between the two neighbors are regularly high, and any escalation could give Russia an opportunity to destabilize his country. “We have an agreement on normalization,” Kurti said, referring to the deal signed under European Union auspices in 2023. “We must implement it, which implies mutual recognition between the countries, at least de facto recognition.”
But for dialogue to resume, Serbia “must hand over Milan Radoičić,” a Serb accused of planning an attack in northern Kosovo in 2023, Kurti said, expressing hope that “the EU, France and Germany will exert pressure” on Belgrade to do so.
Russian shadow, relations with the U.S.
The shadow of Russia also looms over relations with Serbia, which has never severed ties with Moscow and relies on it for its energy needs. “There are many connections” between the two countries, Kurti said, and if Russia were to decide to destabilize the region, “on its march toward Western Europe it could rely on Serbia as an ally. And that is worrying for our country. But we are working with our partners to prevent this.”
Kosovo, which hopes to join NATO, has also been developing relations with Washington in recent months, lifting tariffs on U.S. products and agreeing to accept up to 50 migrants from third countries deported by the United States. So far, only one has arrived. “We do not want any financial assistance in return. We are doing this to help the United States, which is a partner, an ally, a friend,” the prime minister added, not ruling out similar agreements with European countries.
After failing to secure enough seats in the February 2025 parliamentary elections, Albin Kurti was forced to call early elections on Sunday, following 10 months of political deadlock during which the divided parliament failed to form a coalition. “We need a decisive victory. In February we won 42.3 percent, and this time we want to exceed 50 percent,” he said. | BGNES, AFP