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Kosovo and Serbia must normalize their relations, caretaker Prime Minister Albin Kurti said in an interview with Agence France-Presse (AFP) on Wednesday, days before snap legislative elections in which he is seeking to extend his term with stronger backing.
Kurti, who has been in office since 2021, said previously signed agreements with Serbia — which does not recognize Kosovo’s independence — have yet to be implemented.
“We need to normalize relations with Serbia,” Kurti said. “But normalizing relations with a neighboring authoritarian regime that doesn’t recognize you, that also doesn’t admit to the crimes committed during the war, is quite difficult.”
Relations between Kosovo and Serbia remain tense, with periodic flare-ups raising fears of renewed instability in the Balkans.
Kurti pointed to a normalization agreement signed in 2023 under the auspices of the European Union, saying the framework already exists.
“We do have a normalization agreement,” he said. “We must implement it, which implies mutual recognition between the countries, at least de facto recognition.”
However, Kurti said dialogue cannot resume unless Serbia hands over Milan Radoicic, a Serb accused of plotting a deadly attack in northern Kosovo in 2023.
“Serbia must hand over Milan Radoicic,” he said, adding that he hopes “the EU, France, and Germany will put pressure” on Belgrade to do so.
Kurti warned that Serbia’s close ties with Russia pose an additional risk to regional stability. Belgrade has not severed relations with Moscow and remains dependent on Russian energy.
“There are many links” between Serbia and Russia, Kurti said, adding that if Moscow sought to destabilize the region “in its march toward Western Europe, it can count on Serbia as an ally.”
Kosovo, which hopes to join NATO, has recently strengthened ties with the United States, including removing tariffs on U.S. products and agreeing to accept up to 50 migrants from third countries deported by Washington. So far, only one has arrived.
“We are not asking for any financial assistance in return,” Kurti said. “We are doing this to help the United States, which is a partner, an ally, a friend.” He did not rule out similar agreements with European countries.
Kurti called early elections after failing to secure enough seats in February 2025 parliamentary polls to form a government, triggering 10 months of political deadlock.
“We need a decisive victory,” he said. “In February, we won 42.3%, and this time we want to exceed 50%.”
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