Analyst: Entire Balkans Living Within Imaginary, Not Real Borders

Kim Mehmeti

Political analyst from Skopje Kim Mehmeti stated on Nov. 24 that everyone in the Balkans lived within imaginary and not real borders of their states, and that only peace was a short term factor.

"The situation in Kosovo is the same as in the entire Balkans. We have peoples living within their imaginary borders, and not within the borders of the state they live in and, in that sense, I believe the Serbian elites have not yet abandoned the imaginary thinking and comprehension, according to which 'the other eye' Montenegro and 'the cradle of Serbia' Kosovo belongs to them," Mehmeti said in an interview to BETA.

As for relations between Kosovo and Serbia, Mehmeti said that "while the weaker hopes, the stronger acts." "As we can see, Serbia is arming every day; there is hope in Kosovo that there would be no armed conflicts; however, the weaker never had their wishes fulfilled in the Balkans – those who acted or had long-term goals always acted according to their will," Mehmeti stated.

In his words, "throughout history, Serbia's strategy for negotiating with the Albanians was the same – that the Albanian-Serbian dialogue is always conducted between Belgrade and Tirana and that other Albanians outside of Albania are marginalized, as though they did not exist."