Kosovo Diplomat: U.S. Presence in Region Sure Sign that History Will not Repeat Itself

Avni Spahiu (YouTube screenshot)

Avni Spahiu, Kosovo’s former ambassador to the U.S., has said that, due to Serbia’s games and threats, any final agreement between Kosovo and Serbia remains in the distant future, but that America’s presence in the region is a sign that history will not repeat itself.

In an Oct. 31 interview for Pristina’s Kosovapress.com news agency, Spahiu spoke of the EU’s attitude toward Kosovo claiming deliberate procrastination, “just like [the EU] was late [to take action] in the 1990s, when Balkan butcher Slobodan Milosevic was tolerated [despite his] machinations causing wars, crimes and massacres.”

“In my opinion, it is far from certain that a final agreement will soon be reached, precisely due to the attitude European diplomats and the Serbian state are displaying toward Kosovo. We are witnesses of the obstacles, of the Serbian state’s daily threats to Kosovo – and Bosnia as well. The danger of dissolution Bosnia is facing stems precisely from the Serbian elements, who are supported by [Serbian President Aleksandar] Vucic and his state. Therefore, Serbia is simultaneously playing multiple cards against its neighbors, [meaning] not just Kosovo and Bosnia, [because we see] a similar policy toward Montenegro and all [of Serbia’s] neighbors,” Spahiu said.

According to him, given the constant threat Serbia poses to Kosovo, there is always a risk of tensions in Kosovo-Serbian relations. Spahiu, however, believes that the presence of five strong U.S. diplomats currently stationed in the Balkans is a guarantee that the past will not recur.

“The danger exists, but the steps Washington is now taking to increase [U.S.] presence in the region are an encouraging sign that history will not be allowed to repeat itself,” the former ambassador also said, adding that the European Union should somehow react to Serbia’s treatment of Kosovo considering that President Vucic’s discourse mirrors the past discourse of Slobodan Milosevic.