Former Kosovo Foreign Minister Meliza Haradinaj-Stublla has sharply criticized the reported plans to open a Serbian consulate in Shkodër, describing the move as a “Greater Serbia political project” rather than a routine diplomatic initiative.
In a public statement, Haradinaj-Stublla argued that if Albania allows Serbia to establish a consulate in the northern city, it would become “an instrument of Serbia’s diplomatic strategy” and create what she called a false equivalence with Albania’s request to open a consulate in Bujanoc, where a large ethnic Albanian community resides.
“If it is true that Serbia will be allowed to open a consulate in Shkodër, anyone who believes this is merely a routine consular act is gravely mistaken,” she said.
According to Haradinaj-Stublla, the proposed Serbian consulate is not justified by demographic realities, historical ties, or Albania’s national interests. Instead, she argued that it falsely equates Serbia’s request with Albania’s “fully legitimate” demand to establish a consulate in Bujanoc, where, she said, thousands of indigenous Albanians continue to face political, national, and institutional discrimination.
“This is an unjust and shameful attempt to create parity between diplomatic aggression and the victim of discrimination. This is not reciprocity,” she stated.
The former foreign minister further argued that Serbia should not receive new diplomatic privileges in Albanian territory while, according to her, it continues to maintain constitutional claims over Kosovo, campaigns against Kosovo’s international recognition, denies war crimes, conceals mass graves, and glorifies those responsible for wartime atrocities.
She said that a state which, in her words, “organized decades of ethnic cleansing and genocide against Albanians” cannot be treated as an ordinary diplomatic partner without first confronting its past and accepting responsibility.
Haradinaj-Stublla also urged Albania to prioritize what she described as the Albanian national interest by supporting ethnic Albanians across the region, strengthening Kosovo’s international position, and avoiding steps that could advance Belgrade’s strategic objectives.
Concluding her statement, she referred to the recent discovery of a suspected mass grave in Zubin Potok, asking whether the Albanian government was aware that another site believed to contain victims of wartime atrocities had been uncovered this week.
The proposed opening of Serbian and Albanian consulates has sparked political debate after Serbian Foreign Minister Marko Đurić said Belgrade and Tirana had discussed opening Serbian and Albanian consulates in Shkodër and Bujanoc, respectively. Albanian Foreign Minister Ferit Hoxha later confirmed that discussions were ongoing, emphasizing that establishing a permanent Albanian consular presence in the Presheva Valley serves Albania’s national interest.
