Press conference by Prime Minister Edi Rama:
PM Edi Rama: Good afternoon! For the first time in over ten years, Albania did not align with a statement of the European Union’s foreign policy.
This fact has, for the sake of truth, caused understandable bewilderment when we forwarded it to Brussels as an attitude adopted by Albania after having tried since yesterday morning, before announcing non-alignment, for the declaration to give thought to the dramatic developments over the last few days, namely the murder of the Kosovo State Police officer and the declaration of the national day of mourning in Belgrade for the men gunned down during a raid by the security forces of the Republic of Kosovo.
Our friends in Brussels clarified and told us that this was impossible, since the declaration that was actually released just a day ago, was indeed a confirmation by the bloc of the European Union member states of the public position announced on September 20, unless I am mistaken, by the EU’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell after the failed meeting between the leaders of Kosovo and Serbia in Brussels on September 14.
We responded with no reservations regarding the statement itself, the critics and the European Union demands for Kosovo, which, according to us, are completely valid and Kosovo should reflect them through its position in the normalisation dialogue, but in the meantime we have put emphasis on the prerequisite, in our opinion, that the release of this statement had to be done simultaneously or at least to be followed immediately by a second statement on the intolerable developments I just referred to.
We were told this was impossible for now and that the statement criticizing Kosovo had already gained the support from all the EU member states, according to their procedure, and Albania was urged to align with it, as it has always been the case in the last 10 years. Our response was negative and this position of ours was certainly not gladly received by Brussels. We are sorry for this, yet our position remains unchanged and I would like to reiterate; this has nothing to do with the content of the statement released yesterday, about which I would repeat what we have already told our Brussels friends too, we are ready to align as soon as the statement we expect about Serbia’s actions and inactions is released and I think that not only us, but this position has to do with the total disparity that yesterday’s statement causes at these very dramatic moments, when the situation can further deteriorate hour by hour, day by day or week by week.
However, I didn’t show up today to provide again explanations about what I briefly explained at yesterday’s press conference in Italy about Albania’s non-alignment with the EU statement, but I am here to voice the extremely serious concern, like never before in the last 10 years, about highly dangerous situation in the northern Kosovo.
We also listened very carefully to yesterday’s remarks by the Brussels spokesperson, who stated that no other statement can be issued without first waiting for the outcome of an investigation into how the Banjska event unfolded. We could have agreed on this if, at least, Serbia would have distanced itself from the criminal gang that took the life of the Kosovo State Police officer and would have immediately announced the launch of a serious and independent investigation. But, unfortunately, instead of an investigation into the criminal event provoked by the Serbian criminal gang and not by the Kosovo Police, the Republic of Serbia chose to honor those killed by the Kosovo Special Forces by declaring a national day of mourning.
So, what investigation is the EU waiting for? By who? By the Kosovo justice authorities? We would have agreed upon this too, but I didn’t happen to hear the EU spokesperson saying something like this and I don’t think that the EU would take for granted the findings of an investigation by the party under attack, namely the state of Kosovo, as long as Kosovo is also a party to this event, despite the fact that those who provoked the event were Serbs and not Kosovo Albanians and despite the fact that the Kosovo Special Forces rushed to the scene to prevent the escalation of terror initiated by the Serbian criminal gang. Is the EU itself probing in an impartial and independent manner? This would certainly be the best, but I did not hear this from the EU spokesperson either and we do not know if the EU has employed any of its mechanisms in this respect.
We would have felt somehow relieved if we were to hear this, but in this respect only, because anyway what we asked in the communication with friends in Brussels and what we ask again today is not the finding of an investigation, which is certainly welcome, but the unequivocal condemnation of the murder of a Police officer in the north of Kosovo by a criminal gang and also, the condemnation of the absurd act of national honor in Serbia for some criminals wearing military, non-state fatigues and armed to the teeth, who showed up in Banjska to stage an illegal force demonstration through the use of heavy weapons, but who were gunned down by the defenders of the constitutional order of the Republic of Kosovo.
Any possible and imaginable investigation cannot alter these as simple as sufficient evidence to be classified as facts, extremely contrary to every value, every democratic principle of the Europe where we live and to be full-mouthed condemned as such by the European Union, we spiritually belong to and where we wish to officially become part of it.
Kosovo’s leadership can and certainly has all its deficiencies to be blamed for in the normalization dialogue process, about which our position has remained unchanged and has been the same, as two drops of water, with the position of the European Union and the United States and it does not change either today. However, none of these possible deficiencies can reciprocate with the extraordinary weight of these serious events which, at least in my memory, cannot be compared to anything bad happening between Kosovo and Serbia since 1999.
This is about shedding innocent blood and it is not about the blood of a passerby who was accidentally killed by a car with Serbia’s license plates, but it is about the blood of an officer of the Kosovo State police, who didn’t take his own life after seeing a group of Serb civilians armed with hunting weapons, but he was killed by heavily armed men wearing military fatigues, who that for official Belgrade are worthy of lowering the Serbian flag to half-mast.
This is a challenge as illegal on the part of the criminal gang and as institutional on the part of the Serbian state, a challenge to the EU values and principles that needs no investigation, but requires open and clear condemnation. And this is not only because of the family members of the slain policeman, the Kosovo people and the Republic of Kosovo deserve to hear the European Union’s high moral and political authority, not to commemorate the seventh or the 40th day after the death of an innocent servant of the Kosovo state, but because this is what the whole region deserves and expects to hear after having suffered a lot throughout its own history from the degradations of political narrow- mindedness into murderous ethnic conflicts, which history has taught us can escalate in the blink of an eye into armed ethnic conflicts.
I have warned about it long ago – and you are among the witnesses – I have warned about potential demonstration of this tragic and unfortunate scenario in the north of Kosovo, either at this table or at the highest European instances and even at the last NATO Summit in Vilnius. This is not because I am wiser than others, nor because I am gifted with reading the future, which I don’t, but simply because I am not so busy with the troubles of the whole world as the big ones of this world are, nor I am not so involved with the past as they are for different reasons, of course one from the other, be it the current leaders of Kosovo or the current leaders of Serbia.
I know and I already see right away the bullets being fired by the courageous social media users. I am used to Tirana’s brave social media clubs. They point a finger at me anytime there is a crisis like the one in the last few hours in northern Kosovo. I am also used to those from Kosovo who point a finger at me as Vucic’s brother every time the flame of nationalism is kindled from northern Kosovo. I sincerely understand those in Kosovo.
While everyone else, those doing political and media business in Tirana with the fingernails of the crises in the north of Kosovo, I simply despise, but everyone should be convinced that nothing of these and none of these can change my vision, nor they do not shake my conviction nor do they move me from the position of seeking peace, dialogue, cooperation and escape once and for all from the past that has persecuted this region over centuries and I want to be very clear at this point. They can keep doing so as long as they wish to do so, since they I don’t consider any of the businessmen of speculations, rumours and conspiracies, neither when they think about Albania, nor when they think about Kosovo, because it is my duty to do my best for the regional peace and cooperation and the final recognition of Kosovo as the fruit of peace and cooperation, and not to fan the flames of nationalism and go after conflicts that breed one another until they end up in bloodshed and, God forbid, in war.
It is my duty to see beyond one step and ask myself at every step: what about now? What about then? What to expect then? What should we avoid later? What should be done next? And these are questions that need to be answered today, so that what happened yesterday is not repeated tomorrow, and God forbid it, even worse, and so that the northern Kosovo does not degrade into an arena of sporadic battles that can turn it into a small Donbas, but big enough to turn yesterday into today and the future into the past by depriving primarily Albania – and I am the Prime Minister of Albania for everyone to recall – depriving also Kosovo and then the whole region from so many more years to get back to where we are today, let alone go to where we need to be in the future.
Therefore, long time before these dramatic events I have repeatedly, publicly and officially stated and requested at the highest instances of the Euro-Atlantic community that the format of the normalization dialogue should be taken to the level of a normalization conference with the Franco-German plan as the roadmap at the table of continued negotiations.
In the meantime, the EU and the Euro-Atlantic community representation in the dialogue had to be elevated at the highest level with France and Germany being represented by the President and Chancellor in the conference as co-authors of this plan.
I think it is now clear to everyone that at least the current format of Brussels talks, with two men coming and going, having nothing to offer peace in this new situation. I believe this is at least clear.
On the other hand, I want to underscore that things can be ignited and go downhill fast. And this can happen much faster than one can imagine on a day like today, when nothing happens because one can see what is obvious only. Therefore, not only the representation level of the Euro-Atlantic community in the dialogue process should be raised and this should happen rather sooner than later, but one should bear in mind that this should be done, because otherwise, couplet with the stock of all the agreements, some of them signed and some of them verbally accepted, but generally not implemented, the delay in taking this step could cause, God forbid it, even a stock of victims of an armed conflict and of course, precisely in order to prevent this conflict by any means, which today seems more likely than ever before, KFOR must take control of the north of Kosovo.
It is a proposal I have tabled earlier, I have also tabled it at the NATO Summit and I have explained at length why. Now, every hesitation and further delay, including the most recent argument in the last few hours whether there are a sufficient number of KFOR troops, can lead to a much bigger KFOR intervention in terms of troops, but also in difficulties.
That’s why I’m here today and I’m glad that this is what Kosovo is asking for, KFOR presence in the north. I haven’t heard Serbia opposing it, on the contrary there are some voices on the Serbian side who have asked for it, but this is up to them, because it does not matter who asks for it, why they ask for it, how they ask for it. This is what the situation requires today and if it had been done before, we wouldn’t have seen what happened yesterday, the day before yesterday.
None of these would have happened. In my view, this is a bit of a delayed move, but it is better late than never. I am also glad that President Osmani publicly asked for the help of the USA for the draft on (Serb) municipalities association a day ago. I don’t know what the major strategic allies of Kosovo and Albania think about this request, but basically the Kosovo President request represents a positive step and it is finally a step in the right direction on the part of Kosovo.
A draft on the association of the Serb-dominated municipalities within the constitutional framework of the Republic of Kosovo should be tabled as soon as possible and, I repeat what I have already stated here about the draft that I have forwarded to top officials in the European Union, France and Germany. It doesn’t matter at all who drafts it and who proposes it. What matters most is one thing; the draft should fulfil the legitimate requirement of the dialogue process, based on the agreements already signed by the government of Kosovo and the government of Serbia, because the governments come and go, but serious states remain and stick to the accords they have signed and, I reiterate, the draft should be within the constitutional framework of the Republic of Kosovo.
Concluding, I would like to note that Kosovo today, more so before the tragedy happened, must persistently seek dialogue, and must seriously believe in dialogue, and should employ all energies for the successful conclusion of dialogue. The Franco-German plan is still on the table. I say still because history teaches us that when you are fussy about a deal, asking for more, even though the deal could be very good, what comes next could be worse. This is what history teaches us. It is the history of conflicts, it is the history of conflict solutions, it is the history of those who in the end decide the way how conflicts are resolved and it is the great powers that decide and who fortunately are sided with Kosovo. Believing the opposite and expecting that it will get worse before it gets better is the most fatal illusion in this situation and in this geopolitical and historical context, where we Albanians are, where the region is, where Europe is.
This is what I had to say, yet I am ready to answer some of your questions regarding this topic.
