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ANALYSIS: Why many Muslim countries do not recognize Kosovo as a state

2024-10-13 21:23:46Fokus SHKRUAR NGA VALONA TELA
ANALYSIS: Why many Muslim countries do not recognize Kosovo as a state
Why many Muslim countries do not recognize Kosovo as a state

The last country with a Muslim majority that recognized Kosovo as a state was Bangladesh, in 2017.

Its independence - declared in 2008 - is recognized by a little more than half of the 57 member countries of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, which describes itself as "the common voice of the Muslim world". Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates lead among them.

However, many others - such as Indonesia with over 275 million inhabitants or Iran with over 88 million - do not recognize it.

Radio Free Europe contacted the foreign ministries of these two countries, as well as that of Tunisia, Iraq and Syria, to ask them if they are considering the position on Kosovo, but did not receive an answer.

Similarly, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Diaspora of Kosovo did not respond to REL's interest in its lobbying activities in these countries.

In an interview given to the Arab News newspaper in 2022, the prime minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, said that it is a "big mistake" that some Muslim-majority countries refuse to recognize Kosovo as a state.

"I think they were misinformed by Serbia. Some of them maintain that position also because of their close ties with the Russian Federation. I call on all the countries of the world to - for the sake of long-term peace, stable security and recognition of people's rights to freedom and self-determination - to recognize Kosovo's independence", Kurti told Arab News.

Kosovo has over 1.5 million inhabitants with a Muslim majority, but according to the Constitution it is a secular state.

Despite the support of some of the largest and most influential countries in the world, Kosovo is not yet part of the United Nations and is only recognized by a little more than 100 of the 193 UN member states.

Gëzim Visoka, professor of Peace and Conflict Studies at Dublin City University, says the reluctance of many Muslim-majority countries to recognize Kosovo stems from a complex interplay of geopolitical influences and historical alliances.

Among them, he specifically mentions Iran, which he says has close ties to Serbia and Russia and is prone to pursuing anti-Western narratives. As such, it also has influence in countries such as Syria, Lebanon and Iraq.

"Then, there are also countries like Morocco and Palestine, which have special ties with Serbia, due to the internal problems they have with certain regions and the historical ties that the former Yugoslavia has established with them," says Visoka.

"So, we have a little to do with the perception of Kosovo as a Western or American project, and partly with the legacy of Yugoslavia in the Middle East and North Africa," he says on Radio Free Europe's Expose program.

Michael Bishku, profesor i Historisë në Universitetin Augusta, thotë se qëndrimi i disa shteteve mosnjohëse të Kosovës lidhet edhe me frikën e tyre se pavarësia e saj mund të krijojë precedentë, por edhe me presionin e Rusisë - aleates kryesore të Serbisë në skenën ndërkombëtare.

“Nuk mendoj se Irani do ta njohë Kosovën, sepse ai shkon në hap me Rusinë. Ato dy vende janë mjaft të lidhura. Irani e ndihmon Rusinë në luftën e saj në Ukrainë. Disa vende të tjera mund ta shqyrtojnë pozicionin e tyre ndaj Kosovës në të ardhmen, por Irani jo”, thotë Bishku.

Për Visokën, sinjale të mira te shumë vende me shumicë myslimane nuk kanë dërguar as disa veprime të Kosovës, përfshirë vendimin e saj për të krijuar marrëdhënie diplomatike me Izraelin dhe për të hapur ambasadën në Jerusalem.

“Statusi i Jerusalemit është i kontestuar dhe ka një konsensus ndërkombëtar që status quo-ja e tij të mos ndryshojë, derisa të gjendet një zgjidhje e konfliktit mes Izraelit dhe palestinezëve. Kosova ka shkuar një hap tutje dhe ka marrë anë në këtë kontest dhe kështu është perceptuar si akt jomiqësor nga vendet arabe”, thotë Visoka.

Kosova hapi ambasadën në Jerusalem në vitin 2021, pas një marrëveshjeje me Serbinë, të arritur në Shtëpinë e Bardhë. Vendimi atëkohë u kundërshtua nga Liga Arabe, por edhe nga Bashkimi Evropian, i cili e cilësoi si “fatkeq”.

Visoka thotë se Kosova, nga frika e stigmatizimit ose perceptimit si vend islamik, ka anashkaluar nevojën për të pasur marrëdhënie të mira me shumë vende joperëndimore.

“Në raport me Jerusalemin dhe Palestinën, Kosova ka hapësirë të jetë më eksplicite, të marrë qëndrimin e BE-së sa u përket zhvillimeve në Gazë, në Liban dhe të mos bëjë asgjë më shumë”.

“Por, Kosova ka qenë gati e njëanshme deri tani - ajo i ka dënuar sulmet e 7 tetorit të vitit të kaluar [në Izrael] dhe ka qenë kryesisht e heshtur ndaj krimeve dhe dhunës ndaj civilëve palestinezë”, thotë Visoka.

Sipas tij, Kosova duhet të krijojë një politikë të jashtme më parimore dhe më të balancuar, e cila do të dërgonte sinjale te vendet që nuk e kanë njohur, se ajo nuk është kundër botës arabe apo interesave të tyre..

Autoriteti palestinez, i cili me dekada lufton kundër pushtimit nga Izraeli, nuk e njeh Kosovën, dhe ish-udhëheqësi palestinez, Yasser Arafat, është kritikuar për lidhje të ngushta me ish-presidentin jugosllav, Sllobodan Millosheviq.

Bishku dyshon se shumë vende me shumicë myslimane janë mirë të informuara për Kosovën dhe kontekstin historik të pavarësisë së saj.

“Palestinezët janë të zemëruar dhe pyeten përse vendet perëndimore nuk brengosen shumë për njohjen e shtetit palestinez, aq sa për Kosovën”, thotë Bishku për Exposenë.

Me përshkallëzimin e konfliktit në Lindjen e Mesme, gjatë vitit të kaluar, Kosova, në disa raste, ka shprehur mbështetje për Izraelin.

When Iran attacked the Israeli state on October 1, Prime Minister Kurti wrote in X that Kosovo supports Israel's right to self-defense, as well as all efforts to achieve an immediate ceasefire.

For analysts, Kosovo does not have the luxury of taking sides or being regional in foreign policy, until it secures more universal recognition.

Visoka admits that interaction with countries like Syria, which have authoritarian or semi-authoritarian regimes, could cost Kosovo its Western image, but says that with quiet and concentrated lobbying, unrecognized countries can change their positions. .

In that case, the benefits for Kosovo would be great, according to him.

"Besides the deepening of economic, political, cultural and military cooperation, these countries have a vote in the UN and would be key for the advancement of Kosovo as a sovereign state within the UN. Membership in most international organizations requires two-thirds of the votes of their members, and the bloc of Arab or Muslim countries is powerful," says Visoka.

Bishku agrees. In case of a greater solidarity of Muslim-majority countries, Kosovo could also become a member of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, he says.

"Albania has been a member for a long time. In case of membership, Kosovo could also receive financial aid, which would be useful. But as long as there is no solidarity in this organization, it is difficult to say when this can happen", says Bishku.

Turkey, which itself recognized Kosovo only one day after the declaration of independence, has repeatedly called on Muslim-majority countries to follow its example.

The Turkish president himself, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has pledged three years ago that he will work to increase the number of recognitions of Kosovo.

Radio Free Europe asked the Turkish Embassy in Pristina about Ankara's lobbying activities, but did not receive an answer.

Kosovo received the last recognition from Israel in February 2021.

In an interview given to the Kallxo medium at the end of last year, the head of Kosovo's diplomacy, Donika Gërvalla, said that she is working for new recognitions, but that she cannot impose her will on other countries.

However, in a world where alliances and partnerships matter, Kosovo should have realized that its acceptance requires more than just good will - perhaps more serious diplomacy and a little more finesse. / Radio Free Europe


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