TIRANA, August 11 – Albania’s State Minister and Chief Negotiator Majlinda Dhuka responded today to Serbian European Integration Minister Nemanja Starović over the debate surrounding the Ibër River.
In a social media post, Dhuka said that the river flows forward and history does the same. As a lawyer, she said she felt the need to clarify Starović’s reference to United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244 in a debate that began with a river.
Dhuka argued that Resolution 1244 did not restore Serbian sovereignty over Kosova. Instead, she said, it established international administration and removed Serbian security forces. It also created a separate political process for Kosova’s future status. Most importantly, she said, the resolution did not predetermine the outcome of that process.
Dhuka then referred to the International Court of Justice. She noted that Serbia itself had asked the court whether Kosova’s declaration of independence violated international law. The court concluded that it did not.
However, Dhuka said that international law does not become more convenient when officials selectively quote it. She also argued that history does not move backwards simply because Belgrade expects it to.
On territorial integrity, Dhuka said everyone could agree that countries should not change borders by force. Meanwhile, she said references to Ukraine in a discussion about Kosova undermine the argument they seek to support. Dhuka stressed that Kosova did not annex territory. She also said Albania has no territorial claims against Serbia.
Instead, Dhuka said Albania has an agenda for a larger Europe. She said that vision includes Albania, Kosova and Serbia together within the European Union. She called on both sides to leave the “ghosts” of “Greater Albania” and “Greater Serbia” behind.
Dhuka also referred to Kosova’s path to independence. She said Kosova declared independence after war, ethnic cleansing, NATO intervention and years of United Nations administration. She also pointed to the internationally mediated process on its future status.
Since then, Dhuka said, more than 100 United Nations member states have recognized Kosova. She noted that the number includes the vast majority of European Union and NATO members.
Dhuka also addressed the Brussels Agreement. She said Albania does not question the agreement. She added that Albania continues to support consideration of the Association of Serb-Majority Municipalities within the dialogue. At the same time, she said Serbia must address its own obligations under the same process.
Earlier, Dhuka said that both sides had seen through their work with the European Union that agreements work better when both parties apply reciprocity. She compared that principle with good-neighbourly relations.
The minister then returned to the issue that started the exchange: water. She said someone had threatened to change the Ibër’s flow. Albania, she added, objected to the idea of using water as an instrument of political pressure.
From there, Dhuka said, the discussion moved through Resolution 1244, territorial integrity, Ukraine, China and Cyprus before reaching the issue of “sandcastles”. She described the path as a long journey for a river.
Finally, Dhuka said the debate should return to its starting point. She argued that the Ibër should carry water rather than geopolitical grievances. She concluded that anyone seeking to build a shared European future needs a stronger foundation than sand: reality.
/a.p./
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