New Delhi: Former Kosovo Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar to recognise his country, treat it as an economic partner and allow entry of Kosovars into India.
“Kosovo is, in a way, logistically well placed in the region. I hope Prime Minister Modi and Minister Jaishankar will treat us as a partner and friend, and allow us not just to trade with India but also travel to India,” Haradinaj said in an exclusive interview with ThePrint.
Reaching out to the Indian government, institutions and trade partners would be a “priority” if he takes part in Kosovo’s next parliamentary election, he added.
Haradinaj, the chairman of the Alliance for the Future of Kosova (AAK), has served as the Prime Minister twice, from 2004 to 2005 and then from 2017 to 2020.
A Muslim-majority territory that declared independence from Serbia in 2008, Kosovo is recognised by over 100 countries, including the US, France and Germany. India, Russia, China, and Brazil are among those nations yet to recognise Kosovo’s independence. Serbia also continues to lay claim to Kosovo and refuses to recognise it as a sovereign state.
Haradinaj’s remarks come weeks after the India-Kosovo Trade Commerce Economic Office (IKCEO), a body independent of the Indian government, was inaugurated in New Delhi.
After the launch of the trade body, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) reiterated that New Delhi would not change its stance on Kosovo — a statement that was welcomed by the Serbian embassy in New Delhi.
Also Read: UNSC just took note of Congo’s M23 insurgency. The root of the conflict lies in Rwandan genocide
‘India’s links with Yugoslavia not an obstacle’
In the early 20th century, Kosovo was part of the Kingdom of Serbia until it later merged with other Slavic countries to form Yugoslavia.
After the breakup of Yugoslavia, Kosovars voted to secede from Serbia and Yugoslavia in 1991 which was met with a brutal crackdown by the then Yugoslavia president Slobodan Milošević, who was also a Serb. After a bloody war with Serbian forces, from 1998 to 1999, Kosovo came under the UN administration. It officially declared independence from Serbia in 2008.
When Yugoslavia was still intact, it shared close ties with India. In fact, Yugoslavia President Josip Broz Tito along with Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru were among the co-founders of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM).
Asked if India’s historical links with Yugoslavia play a role in its non-recognition of Kosovo, Haradinaj said: “The former Yugoslavia was a country of many nations, not just Serbia…We believe that’s not an obstacle — the fact that India had previous good relations with Yugoslavia.”
“These good relations should continue with all former members of Yugoslavia, and us too. We are part of that heritage,” he added.
Though countries like Russia and China don’t recognise Kosovo, they allow entry of Kosovars into their territories, unlike India.
Commenting on this, the former Kosovo PM said: “It is true that China doesn’t recognise Kosovo but they have a diplomatic presence here. The Chinese are open to all economic exchanges.”
“I hope they (India) also make it easy for Indian investors and business partners to do easy business with Kosovo and allow travel,” he said.
(Edited by Tony Rai)
Also Read: Why failed coup in Germany is rekindling memories of Hitler’s 1923 Beer Hall Putsch