SERBIA-ALBANIA/KOSOVO RAMA Rama: Much agreement between Albania and Serbia despite Kosovo

Record ID: 565661

  • Title: SERBIA-ALBANIA/KOSOVO RAMA Rama: Much agreement between Albania and Serbia despite Kosovo
  • Date: 10th November 2014
  • Summary: BELGRADE, SERBIA (NOVEMBER 10, 2014) (REUTERS) ALBANIAN PRIME MINISTER EDI RAMA TALKING TO JOURNALIST (SOUNDBITE) (English) ALBANIAN PRIME MINISTER EDI RAMA SAYING: (whether the visit was step forward or step back) "No, no no. Very (much a) step forward. For sure. Very step forward." QUESTION: IN WHAT SENSE? "Because beyond what is issue of total disagreement like Kosovo, where are many other aspects that are subject of agreement, like the need to work together, and to make it for a good of our countries and for people, to be part of European Union, and I think there is more and more self-consciousness that alone we cannot go too far but together we can go far." HANDS (SOUNDBITE) (English) ALBANIAN PRIME MINISTER EDI RAMA SAYING: "And after the Serbia-Kosovo peace agreement, we had the end of conflicts about borders. And whatever Serbs say today, it's clear that there is no conflicts in any border. And this is fantastic, never, something new, but it's not obvious, and it's not there forever, so taking it for granted be a big mistake on European Union part." RAMA TALKING TO JOURNALIST (SOUNDBITE) (English) ALBANIAN PRIME MINISTER, EDI RAMA, SAYING: "The very fact that football game can bring relations backwards just like this, is showing how vulnerable peace in the Balkans is and how easy is to go back. But every fall back in the Balkans would be a terrible fallback for Europe and whoever think that the Balkans are out of Europe, so it's not (a) European problem is deadly wrong, because it's enough to have (a) Middle East, we do not need Middle West, otherwise it would be too much and it would be totally, (a) total blow." RAMA IMAGE ON VIEWFINDER OF CAMERA (SOUNDBITE) (English) ALBANIAN PRIME MINISTER, EDI RAMA, SAYING: "(An) independent Kosovo has been factor of more stability, more predictability in the region and having two Albanian states in region has not been at all a matter of disarray and of anarchy but on the contrary, has brought much more responsibility and Albanians are much more aware of the burden of responsibility that they have in the region, so we are all working for the European project and not for any greater Albania." RAMA TALKING TO REPORTER (SOUNDBITE) (English) ALBANIAN PRIME MINISTER, EDI RAMA, SAYING: "So enlargement fatigue, ok, but there is also a patience fatigue which is threatening the Balkans and if the patience will end then better we don't predict what can happen." RAMA TALKING TO REPORTER RAMA HANDS (SOUNDBITE) (English) ALBANIAN PRIME MINISTER, EDI RAMA, SAYING: "Practically, we are not enemies of each other, our common enemies are deficit, public debt, unemployment, marginalisation, so we need to work together and it's all about the typical business as usual for Europe, it's something special. And Europe should do something special for us. That's why I very much praise (German) Chancellor Merkel for the initiative of last August, because it was a very strong sign towards the Balkans about something different needing to happen, which would depend very much on us. In that respect I think that Albanians and Serbs are key." RAMA TALKING
  • Embargoed: 25th November 2014 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Serbia
  • Country: Serbia
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVA7OHPJPQ72OO2UWDHWVV3FF1KB
  • Story Text: Billed as a new chapter in the history of the Balkans, the first visit on Monday (November 10) by an Albanian leader to Serbia in 68 years descended into a public row between prime ministers over the independence of the majority-Albanian former Serbian province of Kosovo.
    Despite a verbal row with the Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic who said Rama humiliated Serbia after saying Belgrade should recognize independent Kosovo, the Albanian prime Edi Rama said that the two countries should cooperate. In an interview with Reuters, Rama said the visit was not a setback.
    "No, no, very straight forward, for sure, very straight forward." Edi Rama, Albanian prime minister said. "Because beyond what is issue of total disagreement like Kosovo, where are many other aspects that are subject of agreement, like the need to work together, and to make it for a good of our countries and for people, to be part of European Union, and I think there is more and more self conciousness that alone we cannot go too far but together we can go far," Rama said in a Reuters interview.
    Serbia considers Kosovo the cradle of its nation and faith, but the vast majority of its 1.8 million people are ethnic Albanians who seceded in 2008 with the backing of the West almost a decade after NATO went to war to halt a wave of ethnic cleansing.
    "And after the Serbia-Kosovo peace agreement, we had the end of conflicts about borders. And whatever Serbs say today, it's clear that there is no conflicts in any border. And this is fantastic, never, something new, but it's not obvious, and it's not there forever, so taking it for granted be a big mistake on European Union part," Rama told Reuters.
    Rama's visit, the first by an Albanian leader since Communist dictator Enver Hoxha in 1946, had already been postponed from Oct. 22 when a diplomatic row erupted over an abandoned soccer match between Serbia and Albania in Belgrade. The game was halted when a drone carrying a flag of 'Greater Albania' flew over the pitch, triggering a brawl between players and a pitch invasion by Serbian fans. The incident soured relations between Serbia and Albania.
    "The very fact that football game can bring relations backwards just like this, is showing how vulnerable peace in the Balkans is and how easy is to go back. But every fall back in the Balkans would be a terrible fallback for Europe and whoever think that the Balkans are out of Europe, so it's not (a) European problem is deadly wrong, because it's enough to have (a) Middle East, we do not need Middle West, otherwise it would be too much and it would be totally, (a) total blow," Rama added.
    Though an aide to Rama said the prime ministers planned to have dinner together on Monday evening, their exchange underscored the chasm that still exists between Serbs and Albanians in the Balkans despite a common goal of one day joining the European Union.
    The region has largely stabilised since the collapse of Yugoslavia in the 1990s - of which the 1998-99 Kosovo war was the final chapter - but widespread poverty, joblessness and political disagreements continue to fuel tensions.
    "(An) independent Kosovo has been factor of more stability, more predictability in the region and having two Albanian states in region has not been at all a matter of disarray and of anarchy but on the contrary, has brought much more responsibility and Albanians are much more aware of the burden of responsibility that they have in the region, so we are all working for the European project and not for any greater Albania," Rama said.
    Rama warned that much was still at stake, and said the EU should move more quickly in bringing in the rest of the Western Balkans, amid deep misgivings within the 28-nation bloc over the wisdom of further expansion.
    "So enlargement fatigue, ok, but there is also a patience fatigue which is threatening the Balkans and if the patience will end then better we don't predict what can happen," Rama added.
    The Albanian prime minister said unemployment, deficit and debt remained major enemies of the two Balkan countries and praised an initiative by the German Chancellor Angela Merkel who insisted on more regional cooperation.
    "Practically, we are not enemies of each other, our common enemies are deficit, public debt, unemployment, marginalisation, so we need to work together and it's all about the typical business as usual for Europe, it's something special. And Europe should do something special for us. That's why I very much praise (German) Chancellor Merkel for the initiative of last August, because it was a very strong sign towards the Balkans about something different needing to happen, which would depend very much on us. In that respect I think that Albanians and Serbs are key," Rama told Reuters.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2014. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register