Kosovo’s Prime Minister, Albin Kurti, discussed the ongoing situation regarding the Albanian language in North Macedonia during a joint press conference with his Macedonian counterpart, Hristijan Mickoski. The two leaders met as part of an intergovernmental meeting to address various topics of bilateral interest.
Kurti emphasized that there are no disagreements between the Republic of Kosovo and North Macedonia, but rather a continuous and open dialogue. When asked about the issue of the Albanian language, which has been a point of contention, Kurti clarified that the matter is currently with the Constitutional Court of North Macedonia. Specifically, three provisions regarding the use of languages were sent to the Venice Commission for review.
He further explained that these provisions have not been implemented in the past, and it is now up to the Constitutional Court of North Macedonia to clarify the situation. He noted that there is no law specifically governing the use of the Albanian language, but rather a law on the use of languages in general.
“We must all wait for a fair decision from the Constitutional Court that does not make exceptions or discrimination and respects the multilingualism that exists in North Macedonia,” Kurti stated, adding, “It is not true that Albanian was an official language in North Macedonia and now it is at risk.”
In addition to discussing language issues, Kurti highlighted the growing trade exchanges between Kosovo and North Macedonia. He noted that exports from Kosovo have increased by 75% compared to the pre-pandemic year of 2019, and he expressed optimism that the trade between the two countries will soon reach half a billion euros.
“We are seeing increasing success in the export of Kosovo’s light industry, beverages, food, leather processing, and textiles, particularly wood and metal processing. We also import various goods from North Macedonia,” said Kurti.
The Prime Minister also spoke about the planned tunnel connecting Prizren, Kosovo, and Tetovo, North Macedonia. He mentioned that the project was moving forward, with agreements signed, budgets allocated, and construction on the Kosovo side already underway. The Macedonian side will handle the design of the tunnel project.
Kurti was also asked about ethnic divisions and whether they could lead to conflict. He stated that he does not believe ethnic differences inherently lead to conflict, though some political centers might exploit ethnic divisions for power, hegemony, and dominance. He stressed that ethnic differences themselves do not cause conflict, and pointed to the increasing cooperation between workers of different nations across the Balkans.
“There may be desires to fuel ethnic tensions, but I do not believe there are widespread views anymore, as there were in the 90s, when ethnic differences were exploited, especially by official Belgrade, to provoke bloody wars that sought to create divisions,” Kurti concluded.
