Ahmetović called for NATO to send more soldiers to Kosovo

(Patria) - Where have there been conflicts again on our continent after 1945? In the Western Balkans, starting with the dispute over Kosovo. The breakup of Yugoslavia began in 1991 with growing nationalism in Belgrade over the issue of who Kosovo belongs to. It was about whether Kosovo was autonomous or should remain part of the then Yugoslavia. Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008, and since then more than a hundred countries have recognized Kosovo in the UN, but the conflict still exists. This is shown by the tensions and threats of armed conflict by the Serbian government a few weeks ago," assesses Adis Ahmetović (SPD) in an interview with Berliner Zeitung.

He then states that, "despite this, there is rarely a broad political debate about this conflict in Germany. The situation is similar with ethno-nationalist events in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro," says Ahmetović, assessing that this is "fatal".

The SPD politician also says that recent events in Kosovo have once again revealed the indecisiveness of the European Union.

"The US had to intervene again to calm the situation." He therefore believes that "the EU must urgently become more independent in terms of security policy, including the Western Balkans" and adds that he is glad that "the Chancellor announced a turning point in foreign and security policy".

"For our security, it is important whether Trump or Biden is in power in the US. Trump toyed with the idea of withdrawing from NATO, and he wanted to solve the problems in the Western Balkans by allowing border changes and consulting with Russia. Biden has a different stance. He is a beacon of hope for the people there, who stand behind the EU and democracy and do not lean towards Moscow and autocracy," says Ahmetović.

The Berliner Zeitung journalist notes that the problems between Serbia and Kosovo are seemingly trivial and mentions license plates, asking Ahmetović why he is still concerned. "Barricades were erected in northern Kosovo in the 1990s as well, just before the outbreak of the Yugoslav wars. Serbia recently put its army on alert and asked the international community to take care of peace itself. So the army almost marched into another country," says the German politician.

He also adds that, viewed from the outside and considering the potential for initial conflicts, the situation between Serbia and Kosovo is similar to that between Ukraine and Russia, albeit on a different scale. "I believe that the situation in the Western Balkans would be even more dangerous if the war in Ukraine had taken a different course. But the fact that the West is now united and that Ukraine is strongly opposing Russia has an impact on nationalist forces, including the Serbian government. Serbian politicians recently formulated the goal of establishing a so-called Greater Serbia. This can only succeed if, among other things, Kosovo is annexed. This ethno-nationalist course is reminiscent of the Kremlin and has Putin's support."

"The more the EU supports Kosovo in its democratization, the stronger Serbia's attempt to prevent it becomes - politically, and if necessary, militarily. Previous EU attempts to find a middle ground have not yielded the desired results. Therefore, we must consistently advocate for a unified EU stance, recognize Kosovo as a whole, and stop any attempt to change borders. This serves the stable peace of both countries," believes Ahmetović.

And when asked what the EU should do, the SPD politician says: "Time is running out. We must not allow another escalation. There must be no military dominance of Serbia over KFOR, which with its 3,500 soldiers is currently not strong enough - in 1999 there were almost 50,000. We need more soldiers again, including from Germany."

"Moscow actively supports the Serbian government"
Answering the question of whether this is the stance of the entire ruling German coalition, Ahmetović says that time will tell.

"The SPD parliamentary group has put the issue of Kosovo on the agenda of the Bundestag's Foreign Affairs Committee. Among other things, it will have to clarify whether there is information in the meantime that Russia has sent Wagner groups to the region to further destabilize it. Moscow actively supports the Serbian government and wants to cause discord in Europe from there as well," assesses Ahmetović.

At the end of the interview, the German newspaper's journalist notes that "the West has not exactly distinguished itself in promoting democracy in conflict regions over the past few decades and asks: Isn't it time to reduce it a bit?"

"That is a legitimate question," replies Ahmetović. "But what would happen if the West stayed away from the Western Balkans? I assume that at the end of December 2022, Serbian soldiers would have entered Kosovo very quickly if it weren't for KFOR. It's similar with Ukraine. If the West had not supported it financially and with weapons, Putin would certainly have achieved his goals," concludes Adis Ahmetović from the German SPD.