Kosovo is celebrating 15 years of independence from Serbia, yet there are still underlying tensions between the Serb and Albanian communities. In Pristina, there is a lack of confidence in the state’s permanence. This is something that Serbia is actively trying to reverse.
The world is divided on the status of the former province, and within Kosovo itself, the divide is clear. Prime Minister Albin Kurti has declared that Kosovo is a sovereign, democratic country with the most developed economy in the region. However, data from the Kosovo Statistical Agency paints a different picture, with unemployment at almost 40%, and civil servants, teachers and doctors protesting in the streets.
Nexmedin Spahiu, a professor at the Faculty of Political Sciences, believes that this sense of discouragement is normal: “Now that Serbia is gone, we are responsible for our own lives. It’s not surprising that people are very disappointed.”
Both the Serbian and Albanian communities are feeling a sense of fear and frustration, primarily due to the lack of security. Political analyst Jovana Radosavljević believes that “The tension is visible and is reflected through a very polarizing populist narrative on the part of Kosovo’s institutions.”
The dialogue between Serbia and Kosovo is in crisis, but both sides are open to the Franco-German plan supported by the European Union, which could help to defuse the conflict. With Kosovo’s 15th anniversary of independence, it is clear that the country still has a long way to go before it can achieve true stability.