Edward Joseph, a lecturer at Johns Hopkins University in the United States, stated that Serbia bears a greater responsibility for the situation in Kosovo, but also emphasized that Kosovo’s Prime Minister, Albin Kurti, must demonstrate that Serbs in Kosovo are full citizens, respected and treated as such by the government in Pristina.
When asked whether, considering his statement that the crisis between Kosovo and Serbia benefits leaders on both sides, he sees a similar situation in North Macedonia, Joseph explained that he does not compare them, as the situation in North Macedonia is entirely different from that in Kosovo and Serbia.
“Serbia and Kosovo are not equally responsible. They are not equally responsible for this situation. Serbia refuses to recognize Kosovo and accepts the status quo in order to keep Kosovo in this state of uncertainty. Therefore, Serbia bears a greater responsibility for the situation in Kosovo than Kosovo does. But of course, Prime Minister Kurti has his own responsibility. He also needs to show that the Serbs in Kosovo are, in fact, full citizens of Kosovo and that the government in Pristina respects and treats them as such,” Joseph stated in an interview with the Macedonian service of Radio Free Europe.
When asked how the halting or continuation of the war in Ukraine would impact the security situation in the Balkans, Joseph pointed out that it has significant consequences.
“We cannot have this in the region. It is still unclear. There are still tensions, look at Kosovo and Serbia, the recent terrorist attack. Even the U.S. has stated that it was a criminal and horrific attack in Kosovo aimed at destroying the water supply, which affects the entire Kosovo’s water and electricity supply. From such threats, we see actors in the region who only need a signal that Russia has somehow returned, and the U.S. and EU capitulate, agreeing on a similar agenda in the region, occupying territories, dividing borders, forcing people to move, and undermining the sovereignty of states, not only Kosovo but also Montenegro and Bosnia-Herzegovina. Therefore, it would be very dangerous to have such a surrender to Putin,” Joseph added.
