Book launch:The History of Kosovo. From Dardania to the Brussels Dialogue
On 21 September 2022, the Institute for Foreign Affairs and Trade (IFAT) hosted the book launch of László Márkusz, former Ambassador of Hungary to Pristina and former Senior Research Fellow at IFAT, entitled “The History of Kosovo. From Dardania to the Brussels Dialogue”. The author’s discussants at the event were Julianna Ármás and Ferenc Németh, Research Fellows at IFAT.
The book launch was opened by Márton Schőberl, Director of IFAT, who in his opening remarks referred to the book of László Márkusz as a milestone in the life of the Institute. The Director said that the mission of IFAT is to put academic knowledge at the service of foreign policy, and the author’s book on the history of Kosovo, which combines the sophistication of academic research with the practicality of diplomacy, fits into this agenda.
After the opening ceremony, the author was asked by Research Fellow Ferenc Németh about the motivation behind the book. Mr. Márkusz said that the idea of writing the book had been conceived while he was preparing for his mission to Pristina, as he was confronted with the fact that there was no comprehensive literature on Kosovo available in Hungarian. There are several monographs available in foreign languages, but they lack Hungarian perspective and approach.
At the request of Research Fellow Julianna Ármás, László Márkusz presented the structure of the book. The author explained that the thread from the beginning, i.e. from Dardania, is necessary in order for the reader to understand the basic problems of today’s Kosovo, the background and dynamics of the tensions in the Serbia-Kosovo relations. The author stressed that in writing the history across the ages, he has always tried to reconcile opposing views and added Hungarian aspects, which bring Kosovo’s culture even closer to the reader. The main focus of the book starts from the second half of the 19th century, so in essence the book covers contemporary history, up until 2020, which the author felt it important to write because of his past and personal experiences as a diplomat in Pristina.
The book required thorough research on the part of the author, and when asked about the use of sources, Mr. Márkusz said that he mainly used the Albanian and Serbian language press of the time, as well as the Hungarian press. The author stressed that the Hungarian press of the dualism period was extremely well informed about events in the Balkans, and dozens of pages of Balkan reports were published on the Serb-Turkish war, the Berlin Congress and the Balkan wars.
The local (Kosovar and Serbian) reactions were, according to the author, favourable and was supported by both sides. Moreover, the author points out that both Kosovo and Serbian historians were open to his request for help and agreed that it would be useful to have an objective outsider write the history of Kosovo.
According to László Márkusz, Kosovo and the Balkans will always be important for Hungary, as the history of our country is closely linked to the history of Southeast Europe. The author cited as examples some of the links that appear in the book: the expansionist policy of the Árpáds in the Balkans, which began with the marriage of King Béla II and Queen Ilona (Jelena in Serbian), the Byzantine-Hungarian wars over the possession of Croatia, and our common Ottoman heritage. The diplomat hopes that his book will serve as a reference point for understanding Kosovo, not only for history lovers and readers interested in the region, but also for those preparing for diplomatic service.
Photos by Institute for Foreign Affairs and Trade (IFAT)