On October 6, 2023, the department of Political Science and International Relations held the Opening Academic Year Address, which had a special focus on the recent situation in Kosovo and its implications. Guests Prof. Robert Muharremi, Executive Director at the Peace & Conflict Studies Center at RIT Kosovo, and Mr. Shpat Blakcorri, Political Reporter in Kosovo and Epoka University Alumni, gave insights on the current events happening in the north region of Kosovo, negotiation possibilities and future peace prospects.
Prof. Muharremi started the discussion with a chronological overview of the most important events that have shaped the history of the state of Kosovo in the last decade, starting from the independence towards the latest tensions in the north region. The professor specifically enriched the discussion with key points about the negotiation and mediation techniques used by the international actors in order to give a peaceful solution to the ongoing tension between Kosovo and Serbia, such as the 2013 agreement and the Franco – German proposal. Prof. Muharremi went on to discuss how the proposals have received negative backlash from both Kosovo and Serbian societies, resulting in the non-signing of the Franco-German proposal from either president Vucic or Prime Minister Kurti in 2023. The escalation of tensions which started off from the license plates has resulted in the death of one Kosovo police officer. Prof. Muharremi discussed possible interpretations behind the decisions of leaders of both countries, through also acknowledging the position and interest of international actors, such as EU, US, NATO and Albania. The professor ended the discussion with resulting that for the moment, there is no willingness to resolve the conflict, meanwhile this leads to unpredictability in the future.
On the other side, Mr. Blakcorri shared with the audience insights from the media coverage of the situation currently in Kosovo. As a reporter himself, Mr. Blakcorri pointed out how in times of conflict, providing truthful information to the public is crucial, but at the same time extremely difficult to be found. He mentioned how the public response to the news about the conflict shows their stance towards the situation, which is further fuelled by the leaders from both sides. Mr. Blakcorri also mentioned how the economic and social situation in the north has started to deteriorate, an issue forgotten due to the media’s and the state’s primary focus on the conflict. From the public’s side, Mr. Blakcorri also talked about the lack of trust, an important point which makes resolution even more impossible. Lastly, the reporter discussed about the political elite of both countries and what pushes them to make important decisions in such times of crisis.
The students of Political Science and International Relations got a very fruitful discussion, understanding the current internal dynamics of Kosovo, from a political and social perspective, and also got insights on conflict resolution. We deeply thank Prof. Muharremi and Mr. Blakcorri for their impact and knowledge shared with the students.
Written by: Ingrit Melani, TA at the PIR department