Kosovo as Pandora`s box

12:44 03.12.2018 • Slavisha Batko Milacic , historian

The ethnic demarcation that is promoted by Serbian president Aleksandar Vucic, between Serbs and Albanians is just another name for the creation of Greater Albania. Vucic statements and spinnings of the necessity for the “demarcation” between Serbia and Kosovo caused shock among Serbs. Most of his political life, Vucic advocated for a Greater Serbia, but with coming to power, things changed. Against his demarcation is virtually the entire Serbia. From experts to the pillar base of Serbs throughout history Serbian Orthodox Church. Despite pressure, Vucic does not give up on the division of Kosovo. In announcements, Serbia would establish severeignity in the north of Kosovo, provide guarantees for Serbs, and for the Serbian Orthodox Church south of the Ibar river and Serbia would be on an accelerated path to the EU.

The division of Kosovo would mean the redrawing of borders in the Balkans. Under the mask of the separation of Serbs and Albanians, Serbian president Aleksandar Vucic would violate the Constitution that he is obligated to protect. Although the Treaty of Brussels, signed in 2012, stipulates that Kosovo Serbs receive the Community of Serb Municipalities (ZSO), Prishtina has obstructed this part of the agreement for many years, now it has unequivocally rejected it. The Kosovo Albanians clearly said they don’t want community of Serb municipalities because they don’t want to have Kosovo’s Republic of Srpska. Changing the “boundaries” would mean that a part of the majority Serb north of Kosovo will become an integral part of Serbia, while parts of southern Serbia with Albanian majority, municipalities Preshevo and Bujanovac would be given to Kosovo. However, by such a solution, about 90% of Kosovo will be given to Albanians. Also, by such a solution, the majority of Kosovo Serbs (about 80, 000 people) and the monasteries of the Serbian Orthodox Church would remain under the authority of the Kosovo, which would surely triggered a new mass exodus in the region. Serbs from Kosovo would de facto disappear, those north of the Ibar river and those south of the Ibar river. The most fateful would be the fate of the Serbs south of the Ibar  river, because they would immediately begin to emigrate. Since the issue of Kosovo for the international community would be solved, the Albanians would find a much easier way to take away Serbian monasteries which were built in the Middle Ages. The best example for this is Montenegro, where after the separation from Serbia, the Government of Montenegro performs an open persecution of the Serbian Orthodox Church.The Montenegrin police even forbade the Serbian Orthodox Church from serving in some churches, while announcing a new law according to which all churches and monasteries of the Serbian Orthodox Church, builted before 1918, will be seized and under the jurisdiction of the Montenegrin Government. On the announcement of this shameful act of law, EU and US are silent. Serbs north of the Ibar river, as soon as they became an official part of Serbia, would no longer be important to the official Belgrade. Which means the cessation of economic aid, and therefore the beginning of the accelerated emigration. This would result in the fact that the Serbs would almost disappear in Kosovo.

The separation of Montenegro (2006) from the state union with Serbia and the proclamation of Kosovo’s independence (2007) has changed the geopolitical relations in the region stubically. Namely, the territorial “narrowing down” of Serbia has significantly weakened its influence on neighboring countries. In line with that is Vucic’s policy of demarcation with the Albanians. One of the main reasons why Serbian president Aleksandar Vucic publicly insists on demarcation is due to the entry of Serbia into the EU. However, what the European Union brought to the neighbors of Serbia, is best seen throughout Croatia. Geopotically speaking, the Eurropean Union has destroyed Croatia. Because of the possibility of free travel and work in EU, there is an exodus in Croatia. Already Croatia has decreased below 4 million inhabitants. And, according to estimates, if nothing changes, in 2030 will have less than 3 million inhabitants. In addition, Serbia would need to coordinate its foreign policy with the EU, which means it would impose sanctions against Russia.

The term „division of Kosovo“ and „the demarcation between Serbs and Albanians“ is deliberately imposed and almost turned into everyday life in Serbia. The true and only correct term is in fact the division of Serbia. Because the withdrawal and the voluntary giving of state territory does not lead to peace, precisely the opposite. It’s enough to look at the history of the Balkans, to realize and understand that with this Vucic’s proposal Pandora’s box will be opened. Because as soon as Serbia would agreed to the division with Albanians, the Republic of Srpska would soon be „on the table“, than the northern serbian province of Vojvodina and after that Sandzak region. This would result in the geopolitical capitulation of Serbia. The only logical policy on Kosovo is a frozen conflict policy. Serbia, as the strongest military force in the Western Balkans, should adhere to Unated Nations Resolution 1244 and wait for changes on the world political scene.

Albanian gain from division

Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama presented the idea of a joint foreign and security policy of Albania and Kosovo, joint diplomatic missions, as well as the election of a joint president last year in the Kosovo Parliament. Relations between Kosovo and Albania are alreeady very intensive in various fields of political, economic and cultural cooperation, virtually no border between the two countries, and Rama has also announced the creation of a unified educational system. As well as a unified common market without restrictions and customs. NATO and EU membership for the Albanian/Kosovo political elite is, in fact, the only possible, and therefore very logical way to achieva their own historical goals – the unification of national territories. The plan has several phases – the first is certainly unification of Albania with Kosovo. This is impossible to do, unless Serbia renounces Kosovo, something what unfortunately is now doing Serbian president, under the pretext of the separation of Serbs and Albanians. It is here that we can see what kind of poor policy is led by Aleksandar Vucic, because without Kosovo, Greater Albania project is impossible. If Vucic’s plan for “demarcation“ passes, we would soon had attempts for the division of Macedonia, followed by the integration of Albanians in Montenegro. Recently in the capital of Montenegro Podgorica, the city municipality of Tuzi with the Albanian majority became an independent municipality. The northern part of Greece is the last in line. It is immportant to emphasize that the main sponsors of the project of a Greater Albania are US and United Kingdom.

Russian red line

Serbia and Republic of Srpska are today the only real Russian allies in Balkans. Serbia is the only state in the Balkans where the Russian army can conduct military exercises, where Russia has a humanitarian center in strategically important city of Nis. A recent statement by Serbian president Aleksandar Vucic that Kosovo is guilty for serbian bad economic and demographic situation is shameful, but speaks enough. Kosovo has nothing to do with the economic development of Serbia, the main problem of the Serbian economy weakness is poor economic policy, as well as corruption. Since coming to power, Vucic fully meets Atlantists requirements, except one, entry into NATO. However, after the „separation“ with Albanians, all preconditions for the Serbian entry into NATO will be created. We should not be surprised if Vucic than declare that for economic develpment of Serbia is good to enter in NATO, same as Montenegrin president Milo Djukanovic claimed for Montenegro.

With the membership of Croatia and Albania (2009), and Montenegro (2017) into the NATO alliance, the United States has in terms of security „almost rounded off“ the space of the Western Balkans, geopolitically extremely important for the control of the Adriatic basin, the eastern Mediterranean and the Black Sea region. Besides Serbia, still remained Macedonia and Bosnia and Hercegovina outside NATO. Bosnia is very important because it has a small exit to the Adriatic Sea, therefore it is the only part of the Adriatic, which is not under NATO control. The only who prevents the entry of Bosnia and Hercegovina in NATO, for now, is Republic of Srpska. From some sources close to Serbian Government we can already hear that Serbia should accept reality on the occasion of NATO, because Serbia is “surrounded” by NATO. If Russia allows Vucic to implement the “separation“ with Kosovo, then Kosovo (either independently or as part of Albania) and Serbia will become part of NATO. After that, there will be no space for Russia in the Balkans. Therefore, Russia should act preventively. To make it clear that no demarcation will be to the Kosovo issue, and that the issue of Kosovo must be resolved in accordance with UN resolution 1244.


 

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