Fueling Balkan Conflict Not in West's Interest, Distracts From Ukraine
© AFP 2023 / Armend Nimani
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The authorities in Pristina have crossed an invisible line by ignoring US advice to de-escalate tensions in Kosovo, failing to understand that America's global interests are paramount. The only thing the US is really interested in is suppressing Russia; everything else can wait, former Yugoslav Foreign Minister Vladislav Jovanovic told Sputnik.
In his assessment, Washington does not need an escalation of the Balkan conflict in the current geopolitical circumstances, which Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti is persistently pursuing.
"Pristina believes in the absolute support of America. This support is absolute when it comes to the so-called independence, but the US has other geopolitical interests. These interests are more important, and this is where the clash of interests between the so-called Kosovo and the US begins. At the moment, the US does not need a conflict in the Balkans because it would divert attention from Ukraine. Its interest is to continue suppressing Russia while everything else is put on hold," Jovanovic said.
US Warnings
Earlier, Washington announced certain restrictions on Pristina, including a ban on the entry of officials and an immediate withdrawal from the NATO Defender Europe 2023 exercises. The former Yugoslav foreign minister believes that these sanctions may not be the last, and it all depends on how much American interests regarding Russia suffer from Pristina's actions. The first warning may be followed by a second and a third.
"There may even be a reconsideration of the American position on the need for the so-called Kosovo to remain independent. It could be a logical conclusion if the tensions between Washington and Pristina continue and if the Albanians do not consider that American interests in the world are higher and more significant than American interests in the Balkans," Jovanovic claimed.
29 May 2023, 15:42 GMT
He calls such a development hypothetical, but adds that these first sanctions raise the question of the inviolability of Kosovo's independence, as Pristina's actions are being questioned for the first time.
The conflict of interests between Pristina and Washington may be temporary, but it could also turn into a permanent conflict and become more significant than it currently appears, says Jovanovic.
Albanians Want Serbs to Disappear from Kosovo
The Pristina regime can be expected to make new demands on the Serbs, because the Kosovo Albanians want a Kosovo without Serbs. This racist decision does not greatly concern the West much, Jovanovic notes. In his opinion, the main problem for the West is that such a thing could shift the focus of the international community from Ukraine to the Balkans, which is not what the West wants at the moment.
"The Albanians are interested in making the Serbs as angry as possible and pushing them into radical actions that will help Pristina, with the help of the international community, accelerate their emigration from Kosovo and Metohija. This is where the Albanians have miscalculated a bit, because it is not in the West's interest now. And this local separatist interest of the Albanians is completely unacceptable to the West at the moment," Jovanovic said.
