Kosovo’s Prime Minister, Albin Kurti, in an opinion piece for The New York Times, discussed the support of the Euro-Atlantic organization NATO and its backing of Kosovo.
Among other things, the head of the executive branch stated that threats of a war in Europe are ever-present, but faith in NATO offers hope for all.
Furthermore, Kurti expressed that a new front in the Balkans would serve both Russia and Serbia.
“A new front in the Balkans would serve Russia as much as Serbia: Serbia might attempt to gain territory through aggression, and Russia could gain stronger control over Serbia as a satellite, besides distracting the world from the war it is waging in Ukraine. Under Mr. Vučić’s leadership, Serbia has heavily invested in its military and military cooperation with Russia,” Kurti stated.
“A 2019 report from the U.S. Department of Defense concluded that ‘Serbia offers the most permissive environment for Russian influence in the Western Balkans.’ Conversely, Kosovo could not offer a less permissive environment. We have remained pro-Western.”
“A quarter of a century after its intervention, NATO’s role in Kosovo proves that the organization is more crucial than ever. Its strong history in the country shows that the democracy and institutional support it helped establish, along with the external threats it prevented, have successfully maintained peace.”
“Unfortunately, 25 years later, we are once again facing war and threats of war in Europe. Here, peace is sustained only by our ability to defend it when directly challenged, and the threat of such a challenge is more real than ever,” he said.
