‘We’ll hold a referendum on unification with Albania. Remember that’. So said, Ramush Haradinaj, the veteran politician and candidate for Kosovan president. With elections pending, that could be dismissed as rhetorical bluster were it not for the fact that a merger of some kind with Albania is Kosovo’s only remaining geopolitical option.
This situation has arisen from Kosovo’s failure after thirteen years to gain recognition of its independence from Serbia. Its demand has faced constant resistance from Belgrade which is opposed to formally ceding Kosovo because of the Serbs’ emotional attachment to the place and their belief it was illegally confiscated by the West. To complicate matters, the Kosovo Albanians have opposed making any meaningful concessions to Serbia in return for recognition because they believe Serbia is morally obliged to accept Kosovo’s independence following its attempt to cleanse the territory back in 1999; many western governments agree.
In 2011, the EU opened a dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina which aimed to normalise their relations but this initiative ground to a halt mid-decade as Serbia maintained its opposition to recognising Kosovo. European leaders tried to entice Serbia with the prospect of EU membership if they ceded the territory – and the threat of non-membership if it did not – but this incentive proved inadequate. For as long as Serbs refused to accept Kosovo’s independence as an outcome, the Albanians refused to negotiate seriously with the Serbs about anything else.
