(by Francesco Matera) The situation in Kosovo is apparently very calm even if the resentment between the two major ethnic groups of Kosovo, Albanians and Serbs, is strong. Albanians, especially the younger generations, nurture and harbor day to day, a resentment that is difficult to control and tame. What the Serbs did to their parents, to their older relatives weighs like an unshakable boulder because the signs and wounds of that terrible war, that terrible massacre, can still be found in the testimonies of their loved ones and visible from the tombstones present in the cemeteries improvised in the open air, in the gardens of their homes. But also the Serbs have suffered, by the Albanian militiamen of the KLA and beyond, unspeakable violence that still hurts and is difficult to forget.
Kosovo today, however, wants to get up again, trying to leave the past behind, eager to outline its own identity, despite the innumerable contradictions due to the different ethnic groups that make up its population. A new government took office in early February with the head Albin Kurti which can count on the support of a heterogeneous political coalition also composed of political lists supported by the Serbs of Kosovo. A bet that of Albin Kurti, a challenge, as the only possibility to appease the existing feelings of revenge, with a virtuous new beginning for all Kosovars.
The economy, which is constantly growing, is trying to lay solid foundations to guarantee successive governments the possibility of planning structural and sustainable development over time. Development policies must be encouraged, in harmony and with the umbrella of the European Union, relentlessly fighting the corruption that is rampant at all levels. Yesterday was the news of the arrest of an unspecified number of policemen devoted to "bribes".
The words of President Kurti, during his inauguration, give a better idea of an area of Europe with a high risk of flammability.
While Kurti on the one hand announced the need to undertake talks with Belgrade, on the other he reiterated the need to interest the International Community to establish ad hoc International Criminal Courts to judge and condemn all those who have committed crimes against the population civilian, during the war. Kurti also spoke of the establishment of a Kosovar regular army. Faced with the grievances of the government allies of the Serbian lists due to the announcement of the Kosovar army and the ad hoc courts, Kurti had to mediate by announcing that it is his intention to promote reciprocity between commercial exchanges between Pristina and Belgrade. The vulnus are Serbian products sold in Kosovo which, for obvious reasons, suffer a very high taxation. If it were really possible to reach an equitable commercial reciprocity agreement, everyone could benefit from it with an exchange of about 400 million euros.
The European Union is very active in this area and to encourage the peace process and relationship, it has signed trade agreements with Serbia for 118 million euros, making it a condition for the start of new talks between Pristina and Belgrade. Serbia, however, among the many promises announced and the feeble openings does not disdain to send "subliminal" messages in the press. Serbian Minister of Defense, Aleksandar Vulin, declared yesterday that Serbia, also during 2020, will continue the process of modernizing its Armed Forces, especially as regards the aeronautics. He ended his message by saying: “we are already ready for future challenges”.
In Kosovo, despite the fine words of politicians, there is still a continuous process of marginalization of all Kosovar Serbs in ordinary life: they are kept on the sidelines of society and discriminated against. Faced with the persistence of these unpleasant social situations, it is necessary to work to guarantee universal prosperity, favoring a structural and sustainable economic development of the entire area, trying to raise the salaries of its citizens without distinction of race and ethnicity (a high school teacher in Kosovo, today in 2020, earns just over 300 euros a month).