Dialogue with Belgrade Heavily featured in Kosovo’s Election Campaigns, Kurti’s Party Exception

Albin Kurti (BETAPHOTO/HINA/Lana SLIVAR DOMINIC)

In their campaigns for Kosovo’s upcoming Dec. 28 parliamentary elections, the majority of political parties included negotiations with Belgrade in their program, a notable exception being incumbent prime minister Albin Kurti’s Self-Determination Movement.

The platforms of the Democratic Party of Kosovo, the Democratic League of Kosovo and the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo all referred to obligations stemming from agreements reached so far and the results expected from the negotiations process.

The Democratic Party promised a coordinated, fair and sustainable process. The dialogue with Serbia is a complex challenge requiring maturity, internal unity and full coordination with strategic allies, the party says. “A Democratic League government will lead a dialogue in close coordination with the U.S. and EU; will protect the sovereignty and constitutional order of Kosovo; will strive for sustainable and internationally applicable agreements. No processes within the dialogue will unfold against the interests of the state,” the Democratic Party manifesto says.

The Democratic League’s platform claimed it would not enact agreements from the dialogue which could be unconstitutional. “Agreements and actions outside the Constitution of the Republic of Kosovo are neither recognized nor accepted by the Democratic League of Kosovo,” Kosovo’s oldest party stated in its program. The dialogue with Serbia, it goes on to maintain, should conclude with “mutual recognition of two states.” In every phase of the dialogue, the League’s stance is unbending: mutual recognition is the end goal; the Republic of Kosovo’s territorial and constitutional integrity are non-negotiable; and any agreement must strengthen Kosovo’s international agency rather than undermine it.”

Meanwhile, the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo pledged to implement all agreements reached so far. “A final agreement with mutual recognition would bring lasting peace to this part of Europe. Kosovo will fulfill its obligations in cooperation with its allies, particularly the U.S. and EU, with the sole purpose of mutual recognition. Membership in all Euro-Atlantic structures is not just this generation’s right but duty as well. We must do our homework and, in this term, everything will be focused on enacting the obligations Kosovo has in the [EU] integration process,” the party’s manifesto states.