Eurasia Press & News
Kosovo must make use of a new, more sympathetic, administration to leverage US support on core issues affecting its security, legitimacy and energy supply.
With Joe Biden now inaugurated as US president, Kosovo has four years to leverage assured support. Biden has more foreign policy experience than any other recent American president-elect and is aware of the Balkan region’s complexities. We may expect a well-informed team to work on issues relating to the Balkans and on collaboration with European allies.
The momentum of progress needs to be kept high, and Kosovo should take proactive measures during the course of this administration to ensure this.
Thirteen years after declaring independence, Kosovo is still struggling to strengthen its international legitimacy. Just under half of the member states of the United Nations do not recognise its statehood, nor do five member states of the European Union, endangering its aspirations of joining international organisations.
The Kosovo-Serbia dialogue should remain a priority for Kosovo, but a comprehensive deal will be almost impossible to achieve unless Serbia explicitly or at least implicitly recognises it. And with Serbian presidential elections looming in 2022, President Aleksandar Vucic won’t consider signing any deal that might jeopardize his reelection.
Kosovo, meanwhile, holds snap parliamentary elections on February 14. At the same time, the Assembly will have to elect a new president. Forming a government has proven to be difficult in the past and this year will be no exception.
Considering these challenges, Kosovo could use assistance from Biden, a longtime supporter. However, Biden will have many other issues to tackle during his presidency, some more immediate than others, and the Balkans will not be near the top of his list. Kosovo must, therefore, move proactively to secure its future. In conjunction with support from other allies, this will strengthen the country. The steps it must take are:
Increased lobbying and engagement with the US diaspora
Lobbying is an effective method that Kosovo can use to meet its objectives. The task can be challenging for a small country, with only limited resources and access to the US.
However, Kosovo needs informed leaders in Washington if it wants effective policy-making. It is imperative that Kosovo is well represented in Washington, and that the US Congress and other affiliated organisations are being advised on issues that concern the country.
The war in Kosovo ended 22 years ago, but many wounds remain open, and Serbia still refuses to acknowledge its responsibility for the war or show sympathy for the victims. Kosovo must, therefore, continue to remind both itself and the world that justice has not been delivered.
Any documentation from this period, such as photographs, videos, or transcripts, especially ones that expose war crimes, should be discussed, archived and displayed to a wider audience. This will not only inform people of the events that occurred but also offer validation to a country that has experienced ethnic cleansing.
Organising Congressional hearings for proposed investigations or legislations would be the ultimate goal. In 2019, Vasfije Krasniqi testified before US Congress about her wartime rape and urged it to seek justice for her and the 20,000 others who experienced sexual violence during the war.
Kosovo should continue to push for more Congressional hearings that expose the human rights abuses and war crimes that occurred during the Kosovo war. Hearings might not achieve the desired results but at least they help to disseminate information on important matters.
The government must also establish a group of professional researchers based in Washington to disperse their knowledge, gain first-hand information, and establish connections with US policymakers and think tanks.
Finally, no lobbying efforts can succeed without the engagement of the diaspora.
There are more than 200,000 US citizens of Albanian descent. The diaspora has an important role to play and its efforts can assist attempts by Kosovo to influence US policy. Kosovo should make use of its embassy in Washington and its consulate in New York to connect with the diaspora and coordinate with them on activities.
Invest in defence and push for NATO integration
Recently, the UK decided to end its 16 year-long contribution to the EU Mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina. A similar scenario is possible in Kosovo. Although unlikely, the NATO-led peacekeeping force KFOR could one day decide to withdraw, leaving Kosovo vulnerable.
Kosovo cannot indefinitely rely on KFOR and NATO, and must take steps to consolidate its armed forces and increase its military capabilities.
Investing in defence can seem inopportune for a country with a small economy but investment is worthwhile to ensure a better, safer future.
Kosovo should, therefore, push forward on securing contract deals with the US weapon manufacturers Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman that produce top-notch military products. This will help equip Kosovo with modern weapons and upgrade its military.
Recently, Kosovo’s army, the Kosovo Security Force, KSF, reached another milestone after the Assembly gave it the right to take part in international peacekeeping operations as part of the Iowa National Guard.
Kosovo’s priority in defence matters is membership of NATO. This will be determined by its continued commitment to democratic reforms and by its willingness to deepen cooperation with individual NATO member states. Presently, four NATO member states do not recognise Kosovo. The decision to accept new member countries is based on the principle of consensus decision-making.
Join the SGC pipeline and diversify energy supplies
The Southern Gas Corridor, SGC, a mega pipeline controlled by Azerbaijan and Turkey, will supply Southeastern Europe with gas from Azerbaijan. It will run through Turkey, Greece, Albania and Italy.
This is an important step towards improving the energy security of Europe, especially Southeastern Europe, because it will reduce dependency on Russian gas and diversify supplies.
Kosovo’s 1.8 million inhabitants depend almost entirely on two aging lignite power plants: Kosovo A and Kosovo B. This is highly problematic during the cold winter, as most people in Kosovo rely on electricity for heating, resulting in a significant increase in electricity consumption over the season.
Air pollution levels reach record levels in winter. The Kosovo capital, Pristina, often makes the top ten list of the most polluted cities in the world. This poses a major problem for quality of life and the government has failed to offer solutions to reverse this problem.
Taking into consideration existing health and pollution implications, Kosovo must try to join the SGC and so replace or reduce its coal consumption. Kosovo should coordinate with its international partners and allies to join the pipeline.
Biden has already indicated that climate change will be one of his priorities, appointing John Kerry as his climate envoy. Kosovo could use this opportunity to create and develop natural markets and diversify its energy consumption.
Kosovo must take other actions to strengthen its international legitimacy and overcome the challenges hampering its future – but these important steps would be a start.
