In a Kosovo-Serbian sandwich

It is shameful to hear and see the “wails” of Kosovo officials on a daily basis, and unfortunately, the ones by the Macedonian government politicians in the “Tomor Morina” case. One, seemingly, procedural act of apprehending a man wanted on an international arrest warrant is turning into a political drama that could undermine the stability of the region.

It is unclear how the deputy prime minister, who is in charge of EU negotiations, sees the rule of law and the rule of law with daily pressures on the justice ministry to release the former KLA fighter. It is also incomprehensible how Kosovo’s officials have the audacity to send messages of possible disruption of relations between the two countries only because they have been encouraged to play by international law.

Kosovo began to behave like Serbia did at one time. Or like Serbia today, depends on what angle you look at. Instead of appreciating that a country, which has traditionally close relations with Serbia, has decided on behalf of its fellow Albanians and the future with Brussels and Washington, among the first to recognize Pristina’s independence, they are only looking for a reason to squabble.

They forget about the rule of law when they are supposed to deliver us the two first suspects for the five-time murder at Smilkovsko Lake, who remained in Kosovo despite our government’s pleas. Both from the previous and the present government. Whenever they get angry, they burn our state flag. When members of the crime group that clashed with police in Kumanovo’s Divo Naselje were sentenced to life in prison, Kosovo Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj decided to pay 10,000 euros to each of their families. It is the same Haradinaj who proudly takes photos with Macedonian counterpart Zoran Zaev and hangs out with his family. And he is now resigning because he was summoned to The Hague to testify for alleged war crimes during the 1999 war in Kosovo. In fact, for the same things as Morina.

The only difference is that he went there voluntarily. It is certainly not the same to answer before a court in The Hague or a court in Belgrade, especially if you are an Albanian. And understandable is the fear in Pristina that if Morina reaches Serbia, it is hard to imagine that she will return. And it is understandable that Kosovo as a state will defend its own citizen. But one should also have faith in the Macedonian legal system. At least when it comes to international rules, we will hardly fail here. We fail when it comes to the law and justice for Macedonian citizens in Macedonian courts.

The main problem is that Kosovo has been waging a war of nerves with Serbia for a long time. The tensions between the two countries, it seems, can neither be resolved by the European Union nor the United States. The country’s long isolation, though recognized by most states in Europe and the world, makes it nervous, so it makes illogical moves. Seeking to pressure Serbia, it has introduced sky high tarrifs on products with a SR sticker and is now banning people with Serbian passports from their territory. Even those from above can not stand in their way.

Serbia, which has long lost Kosovo, now has nothing to lose and is trying to shake off Kosovo’s irrationality. In their games, Macedonia is in the middle. There is nothing naïve in the statements from official Belgrade that there is only one way for our country to show that it is serious: deliver Morina to Serbia. It is clear to them that this is legally impossible, because they are seeking him primarily as a Serbian citizen, not as a Kosovo citizen. And it is clear to them that KLA members are being arrested all over Europe for arrest warrants from Belgrade, but are immediately released for legal and political reasons. But they will continue to put strain. Can it hurt them if they pressured Zaev further and label him some more as an albanophile, something that Belgrade politics and the media have been doing since his coming to power?

And DUI will certainly not miss the opportunity to win a point. In a situation of shaky ratings and after El ChekaS “bombs”, the fire of emotions is kindled and consciously a big bet is placed, because in the end the winnings will be great. Once Morina is released, in Mala Recica they will be able to boast in front of the Albanians for having done so thanks to their power and influence.

In the end, the consequences will, as usual, be on the back of our country.

Goran Adamovski