Avdulah Hoti, a member of the Democratic Alliance of Kosovo and former Prime Minister, stated that the Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti has returned dialogue with Serbia to square one and that the process is no longer on the path towards mutual recognition.
„The dialogue in the previous government was built on solid principles and agreed upon with friends. The main principle was to reach a final agreement on mutual recognition, to agree on all issues or on nothing,“ Hoti said in an interview for Reporteri.net.
Hoti reminded that when his term ended, he handed over all the necessary documentation regarding the dialogue to Kurti and informed him about the next steps.
„What happened is the degradation of the dialogue process and the loss of the moment for an agreement with mutual recognition. As a result of Kurti’s wrong approach, the dialogue is no longer on the path leading to mutual recognition,“ Hoti assessed.
Speaking of the Community of Serb Municipalities, Hoti said that his party’s stance is clear – the government should prepare a draft statute based on the agreement ratified in the Assembly in 2013 and the Agreement on Principles from 2015.
„It is an obligation of Kosovo. Kurti refused to prepare the statute himself, and as a result, a draft ‘take it or leave it’ from the EU arrived in his office. He has long-term caused great harm to Kosovo with the Ohrid Agreement,“ Hoti believes.
Asked about the media situation in Kosovo, he stated that it has never happened that the government publicly threatens the media and tries to censor them with unconstitutional laws.
„Only in totalitarian states are the media closed, as was attempted with the national television in Kosovo. I firmly believe that this government’s approach is useless. We live in a time of technological revolution, where every citizen is a journalist and participates in public debate,“ Hoti pointed out.
„Journalists in Kosovo were the right wing of the effort and struggle for the liberation of Kosovo. They resisted when their lives were threatened, let alone today when they receive insults and threats from totalitarian-minded politicians who foment hatred in society and polarize citizens,“ said Hoti.
In conclusion, Hoti criticizes the current approach of Prime Minister Kurti, stressing the need for a responsible and principled dialogue process that leads towards mutual recognition between Kosovo and Serbia.
