Looking for a new Yugoslavia?

The former government has approved the project in a meeting of officials in the Foreign Ministry, but the new Rama government is against this idea that some analysts call “New Yugoslavia”, and which contains the old Yugoslav republics and that want to also include the two Albanian states, which failed two decades ago.

There’s hasn’t been too much talk in Albania about this initiative of Montenegro, but the renowned diplomat of Balkan, Shaban Murati, who was invited in Top Channel’s main news edition for this issue, was among the few ones who has scanned this proposition very carefully.

Ilir Paço – Mr.Murati, should the Balkan countries that are already applying for EU accession be part of this union, which includes four former Yugoslav countries and two Albanians states?

Shaban Murati – This initiative is based on three levels. The first is the relation between Western Balkan and the European Union, which in this case is the Stabilization Association Process, and this has worked in all Western Balkan countries, and this makes this union unnecessary. The second level imitates other initiatives in the region, such as the Southeastern Europe cooperation, the Black Sea cooperation, the Adriatic cooperation, etc. These are initiatives that aim the regional cooperation. There are too many initiatives that come as a need of the diplomatic circles who want to do something with their jobs. Thirdly, as regards Kosovo, the Montenegrin initiative has a big problem, because it doesn’t give to Kosovo the same status as other countries, but conditions it with the old resolution 1244, and it is impossible to make second-category countries be part of a Balkan Parliament. These are illusions.

Ilir Paço – Montenegro argues that this union would serve to joint integration. Meanwhile, six states are in different phases of the European Union accession. Brussels doesn’t seem to be a sponsor of this project?

Shaban Murati – I think that there is a misunderstanding of the support that Brussels gives to initiatives, even the ones that have failed, because Brussels has always been interested to encourage cooperation in the region. As for the initiative of Monte Negro, I think that it comes just from Montenegro, although there are claims that it has the approval of the experts at the Enlargement Commission Office.

Ilir Paço – Is this initiative coming from the nostalgics of the former Yugoslav federation? Because some have called it as the dream to recreate it even with Albania inside. Are there Russian architects behind this initiative?

Shaban Murati – There are no indications for Russian architects behind this, but Serbia has a constant interest to create this, by excluding two other former Yugoslav countries, Croatia and Slovenia, which are now in the European Union, by replacing them with Albania and Kosovo. This doesn’t create a good taste, because there is always attraction to some circles in Belgrade who want to include Albania in the slavic circles.

Ilir Paço –  What position should Albania and Kosovo hold in this group, especially Albania, as a NATO member?

Shaban Murati – I think that we would be the most important country in this group, since we are the only one that has become a NATO member, but our diplomacy has allowed itself to become the last one in this race. Albania must think twice before saying “yes”, and Kosovo, after being recognized by 103 states, should not be treated in Balkan as a state that is still conditioned by the dead resolution 1244.

Top Channel