Blockade in Kosovo: why can (not) we talk about a crisis?

The Institute for Foreign Affairs and Trade (IFAT) held an online roundtable discussion entitled “Blockade in Kosovo: why can (not) we can talk about a crisis?” on 8 August 2022, with the participation of Julianna Ármás and Ferenc Németh, Research Fellows of IFAT. The discussion was moderated by Cintia Viola, Research Assistant at IFAT. The focus of the event was the Serbian blockade against the reciprocity measures and the regulation on the mandatory exchange of license plates by Kosovo; the Research Fellows put the series of events wrongly labelled by the international media as the “Kosovo crisis” into context.

During the panel discussion, the Research Fellows reviewed the broad political and social background of the current (articifial) crisis situation in Kosovo, pointing out that the tension between Serbia and Kosovo is far from new. Ferenc Németh described in detail the political background of the conflict, which is presented by the media as a new crisis, highlighting both the technical successes of the Brussels dialogue and the shortcomings of its lack of full implementation. The Research Fellow presented the Serbian legislation as a background to the law on the mandatory exchange of license plates in Kosovo as well as pointing to reciprocity as a guiding principle of Kosovo’s political ambitions and a means of strengthening Kosovo’s statehood. Julianna Ármás highlighted the historical roots of the Serb Albanian conflict, the competing nationalisms, the weak governmental authority over North Kosovo and the difficulties in consolidating Kosovo’s statehood as the main social factors contributing to the persistent conflict situation in Kosovo.

Both Research Fellow agreed that international media coverage of the events was exaggerated, while the rhetoric of Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić and Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti also contributed to the “hype” of the events. Julianna Ármás believed that, at the communication level, the nationalist rhetoric of the two leaders often threatening, especially in terms of their tend to securitized bilateral events. The Research Fellow identified the reasons behind the high media attention as the disinformation activities on various online platforms (Twitter, Telegram), mainly by Russia. Ferenc Németh added that in the milieu of a general sense of threat due to the Russian-Ukrainian war, the events in Kosovo were magnified by the media and turned into a regional security threat.

Ferenc Németh ruled out the possibility of an escalation of the current conflict, as neither side has an interest in a possible war; the aim is to keep the conflict part of the discourse. On this basis, it is therefore a proven strategy, rather than a crisis, and the new deadline for the introduction of the abovementioned measures (1 September) could bring new Serbian blockades. Julianna Ármás also rejected the possibility of an escalation of the situation, justifying it by the tradition of barricading, which is an important and well-established element of the Kosovo Serb community’s resistance and nothing exceptional in the conflict.

None of the Research Fellows expect much progress from the Vučić-Kurti meeting on 18 August under the auspices of the EU. The Research Fellows see the two sides as willing to sit down at the negotiating table, but not really willing to resolve the conflict – nor to escalate it. Kurti insists on implementing decisions based on the reciprocity principle in his political programme, while Vučić cannot support measures that would reinforce the statehood of Kosovo and undermine the unity of the (perceived) Serb territories.

For the full recording please click on the link below or visit our YouTube-channel!