The Kosovo government’s decision to continue and strengthen punitive measures against Russia and individuals linked to the Moscow regime is considered a clear indication of Pristina’s Euro-Atlantic course.
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Professor Enver Bytyçi said in a statement to “Bota sot” that Kosovo remains an important and reliable partner of the West. According to him, Pristina’s stance toward Russia clearly sets it apart from Serbia’s policy.
Bytyçi recalled that Kosovo is a partner of the European Union, the United States of America, NATO and Great Britain. He also mentioned the visit to Kosovo by former Secretary General of the Atlantic Alliance Robertson and former Defence Minister of the Federal Republic of Germany Rudolph Scharping, who, according to him, conveyed messages about consolidating the state of Kosovo and protecting it from its opponents’ plans to return it to a newly conceived Yugoslav federation.
According to the professor, the Kosovo government’s decision on 1 September last year to strengthen sanctions against the Russian state and individuals linked to Moscow’s leadership was a natural step. He stressed that Kosovo is acting in accordance with what it should do, while Belgrade continues not to sanction its ally, Vladimir Putin’s Russia.
Bytyçi said that the more closely Pristina aligns its decisions with European laws and policies, the greater the pressure on Brussels will be to distinguish between Kosovo and Serbia’s pro-Russian policy. He added that European leaders must understand that Serbia, just like Milošević, continues to remain on the Kremlin’s Russian train.
The professor explained that the 1 September decision constituted a reiteration of the measures adopted by Kosovo in March 2022, immediately after the start of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. However, he stressed that the latest initiative also conveys new political and diplomatic messages.
One of them, according to Bytyçi, is related to the fact that the new sanctions will be tougher. Through this stance, Kosovo is demonstrating that it is ready to contribute to the defence of the European continent in the event of a Russian attack on one or several EU or NATO member states.
He said the decision gives European countries assurances that Kosovo’s citizens and government are ready to confront any threat to territorial integrity, not only that of Kosovo but also that of other European states.
Another message, he said, concerns Serbia’s process toward EU membership. Bytyçi stressed that Belgrade has opened several negotiating chapters, while Kosovo has not received the same degree of advancement from Europe, which, according to him, has remained inert toward its European path in an effort to bring Serbia closer and prevent it from moving away from the West.
The professor said that the continuation of sanctions against Russia, in line with EU decisions, should remind member states that they are neglecting a state that aligns its interests with European interests. He described this approach as political shortsightedness and diplomatic failure, adding that while European countries are seeking a broad and lasting alliance against Russia, they continue to overlook Kosovo’s efforts to join the EU, including the fact that five member states still do not recognise it.
Bytyçi also addressed the differences between Kosovo and Serbia in their relations with Russia and regarding war crimes. He linked the decision on sanctions to the honours and respect with which Belgrade received the body of Ratko Mladić, the Serbian general convicted of genocide and crimes against humanity.
According to him, this is a major difference between the two countries, and Europe must understand that Kosovo is not Serbia in any sense. He warned that there must be no idea of returning Kosovo to a new Yugoslavia, referring to Robertson’s statement.
The professor also stressed that Kosovo and its government are the only ones in the Western Balkans to have decided to continue the EU’s sanctions against the Kremlin and its allies. According to him, neither Albania, Montenegro nor North Macedonia has renewed this measure, while Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina imposed no sanctions even after Vladimir Putin’s aggression against Ukraine.
Another important aspect, according to Bytyçi, is Kosovo’s stance toward Ukraine. He described Pristina’s decision not to retaliate against Kyiv as noble, despite Ukraine’s failure to recognise Kosovo’s independence.
This assessment came after a statement by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Belgrade, where he said that “Ukraine stands by its decision not to recognise the state of Kosovo.” Bytyçi said that, through its sanctions against Russia, Kosovo is showing that it does not seek revenge and is not so small as to make decisions that harm the Ukrainian cause and its right to defend and have its full sovereignty respected.
He said these messages should be conveyed diplomatically, through the diplomatic service and international political engagement. According to Bytyçi, Europe should be informed that at the heart of the Balkans there is a country that is more pro-European and pro-Western than any other state in the region.
Bytyçi concluded that it should also be made clear that Kosovo has far greater potential, in proportion to its demographic size, to contribute to peace, security and stability in Europe.
