Haki Abazi, Chairman of Foreing Affairs and Diaspora Comittee of the Republic of Kosovo, has visited the Tv set of Televisión Digital de Madrid and Soy de Madrid, in order to explain why his country must be recognized, accepted and respected as an independent nation all over the world. Nowadays, there are five countries in the European Union -Spain among them- that don't still admit the condition Kosovo considers for itself and its territory.
Abazi has expressed that "after the war in 1999, with 12.000 people killed and 20.000 women raped, the process of disintegration of Yugoslavia started, with several Republics recognized internationally, as Kosovo did as well in 2008, due to the fact that 95% of the population agreed", making reference to this aspect as the origin of other countries that stemed from that background. He has added that, so far, "117 countries, including most EU nations and the United Stated, recognize it as a separate nation". However, others don´t acknowledge its situation yet: "two years after we declared the independence, the International Court of Justice decided that Kosovo's independence did not violate International Law; it's difficult to understand why some countries still hesitate, but I think we are in a very good path to move forward, and now, after the attack of Russia to Ukraine, Kosovo is clearly seen as one of the leaders of the Western Balkans". Serbia and Kosovo were called for a dialogue to address open issues: "for ten years, we have been constructively engaged, but Serbia has obstructed the conversations by delaying the implementations of agreements, to wait for Russia to get more powerful and for the memories of all those people that don't remember the war".
You cannot compare Serbia and Spain, because in Kosovo there was a war; I was a refugee in the nineties, but Spain is a democratic and developed country that respects Human Rights
According to the possible comparisons that some people make between the context of Kosovo and Catalonia, Abazi states that "it's totally different, you cannot compare Serbia and Spain, because in Kosovo there was a war and an attempt of genocide, like in Bosnia-Herzegovina; I was a refugee in the nineties, 1.1 million of citizens were either expelled of displaced, but Spain is a democratic and developed country that respects Human Rights and has become one of the leaders of the European Union, there's absoluteley nothing that can be compared. We stand European values, whereas Serbia supports Russia and Putin, it's the only country that is not aligned with Ukraine. We forgive, but we will never forget". Kosovan people feel, "from the emotional side, directly identified with the conflict in Ukraine, because twenty years ago we padt through the same scenario. Our homes were destroyed, there was a massive shooting in scholls and kidergardens which brings our memories back about the war; it's a European war that also affects us in terms of economy, with inflation and high prices. We want that to stop as soon as possible".
With the aim to complete the steps that are left for being accepted everywhere as an independent country, Mr. Abazi tells us that "we need to transform our internal systems and legal framework in order to meet European Union standars and become a member of the EU and NATO, we have a new goverment that is fighting against corruption and crime and we already have bilateral relationships with all the countries that accept our condition". The Chairman of Foreign Affairs has claimed that "we don't want to live in limbo, we want to be fully integrated in the EU and be good partners of other countries". As well as this, he has pointed at links between Kosovo and Spain, especially with industries and bussinesses, such as all the Spanish products that can be found there, or the fact that "the majority of tiles used to build houses in my country come from Spain".
Twenty years later, Kosovo is "a normal and vibrant society, with a huge percentage of inhabitants under 30, which sets up a great nightlife; summers are beautiful and now the life is positive, with an extremely good soil for agriculture, an energy sector and a government that is trying to create a good climate for investors to explore the oppportunities on the region and a central location in the Balkans with crossroads for tourists with many countries that are nearby, so we hope that our hope to the EU is fast".
Próximamente os ofreceremos el contenido de esta entrevista al completo con el correspondiente doblaje en castellano en Televisión Digital de Madrid y Soy de Madrid.