The 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly will begin on September 8. Political representatives from around the world are expected to gather in New York, and among those present are expected to be representatives from Kosovo.
Të lidhura
None found
The Kosovo government has not confirmed to KP whether acting Prime Minister Albin Kurti will travel to the United States of America to represent the country. International relations experts say Kosovo should be represented there through formed institutions and officials with a full mandate.
Dritëro Arifi, a professor of international relations, emphasizes that it is particularly important for Kosovo that its representatives enjoy full legitimacy. He recalls that Kosovo is not a member of the United Nations Organization, but can hold meetings on the margins of the Assembly.
According to Arifi, the participation of leaders who exercise their duties in key institutions risks diminishing Kosovo’s position during international meetings.
He says Kosovo’s international credentials are very limited precisely because the country is not a UN member. For this reason, according to him, it would be much more appropriate for Kosovo to have a legitimate prime minister with full competencies.
Arifi notes that the acting president could also travel to the US, but underscores that the main institutional leaders currently hold their positions in an acting capacity. According to him, this situation distorts Kosovo’s representation and, despite grand ambitions, the country must act in a practical and legal manner.
In the existing circumstances, he considers that Kurti should participate, although it is now difficult to define his role as acting prime minister or as a member of parliament. Arifi explains that the prime minister negotiates international agreements, but questions the possibility of signing and ratifying them as long as Kosovo still does not have a functioning Assembly.
Other states, according to the professor, do not take such representation seriously and do not engage in discussions on important matters when they know in advance that the Kosovar side cannot ratify agreements. Consequently, he assesses that Kurti’s role in these meetings would be extremely diminished.
Following the parliamentary elections of June 7, Kosovo continues not to have formed its new institutions. Former diplomat Blerim Canaj warns that this situation may also negatively affect the country’s representation on the international stage.
According to Canaj, sending individuals who are acting in their roles to a forum such as the United Nations General Assembly, at a time when a functioning Assembly is also missing, undermines Kosovo’s institutional legitimacy.
He states that, based on the laws and Constitution of Kosovo, the country has no legitimate representative. Canaj says Kurti is aware that serious states do not hold meetings with individuals who lack legitimacy.
The former diplomat emphasizes that representation at the Security Council is essential, but adds that Kurti would not be invited there on the basis of any bilateral agreement. According to him, the damage is not hypothetical, as Kosovo is experiencing it every day and it is now clear that no one is taking it into consideration.
Canaj assesses that one should not wait for the international community to come to Kosovo to make the damage visible to local institutions, because such a thing will not happen. He concludes that Kosovo’s isolation and its absence from the radar of a state constitute the greatest possible damage.
Last year as well, Albin Kurti traveled to the US in his capacity as acting prime minister. During the High-Level Week of the United Nations General Assembly, he held a series of bilateral meetings.
Alongside Kurti, former president Vjosa Osmani was also present.
