Pedro Sanchez’s government has announced that it is willing to recognize Palestine as an independent state. Taking this as a trigger, the columnist Guillem Pursals in the Spanish newspaper “El Independiente” writes that before Palestine it would be important to address the situation in Kosovo. “If it is urgent, as Sanchez said, the recognition of Palestine, we must recognize Kosovo”, the article of the Spanish newspaper states.
“Spain is one of the few European countries that does not recognize Kosovo’s independence. The rest are Romania, Moldova, Slovakia, Greece, Serbia, Cyprus and Bosnia-Herzegovina. The latter because the Serbian minority blocks recognition”, the article states.
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Pursals writes that when Spain advocates for Palestine to be part of the UN, it deepens the contradiction with the non-recognition of Kosovo.
“Furthermore, there is an important contradiction in the Spanish position, as in that of Greece, Romania and Slovakia. Since January 1 of this year, Kosovo is part of the Schengen area and, therefore, every citizen of Kosovo can travel without the need for a visa to all the countries signed in the same free movement treaty, despite not being part of Schengen. The European Union, like the rest of the Balkan states, such as Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia, which are all internationally recognized. Thus, the fact that Spain advocates for Palestine to be in the United Nations as a sovereign and independent state, deepens the contradiction with the non-recognition of Kosovo.”
The Spanish columnist writes that the Russian invasion of Ukraine has ignited tension in the Western Balkans, while Vucic increasingly uses his ultra-nationalist rhetoric.
On the one hand, Kosovo is recognized as a state connected to the Schengen Area, and for this reason, the Kosovo passport is also recognized. While, on the other hand, the door opens for Bosnia-Herzegovina to enter the European Union, while Albania moves towards membership. In this context, Kosovo could not remain in nobody’s land.
“Serbia, for its part, is retreating in terms of civil and political liberties, as confirmed by the latest Freedom House report, and has closed security and cooperation agreements with Russia amid its occupation of Ukraine. Therefore, it would be advisable for the EU to coordinate its position on this issue, if Serbia decides to go further, not knowing what the afterlife will be. President Vučić said that he would go to another stage if Kosovo was a member of the Council of Europe and therefore would be recognized as another state.”
He also mentioned the withdrawal of Spanish troops within KFOR in 2009, which he says was done “in a strange way”.
Pursals vlerëson se nëse Spanja avancon në njohjen e Palestinës, duhet të avancojë edhe në njohjen e Kosovës pasi sipas saj po afrohen kohë të vështira në Ballkan duke marrë parasysh pushtimin e Ukrainës dhe “lëvizjet ultranacionaliste” të Millorad Dodik dhe Aleksandar Vucic.
