POLITICS: Kosovo Independence – Albania Seeks Tokyo’s Help

By IPS Correspondents Reprint | | Print |

Catherine Makino

TOKYO, Feb 11 2008 (IPS) - During his four-day visit to Tokyo last week, Albania’s first democratically elected prime minister, Sali Berisha, asked Japan to strengthen economic ties with his country and support Kosovo’s bid for independence from Serbia.

Berisha was warmly welcomed by the Japanese government. Albania, a former communist nation that borders Kosovo, is one of Europe’s poorest nations.

Japan’s prime minister, Yasuo Fukuda, said: “It is my sincere wish that Albania will achieve progress in democratisation and the transition to a market economy under your strong leadership. I expect this visit will serve as a good opportunity to further deepen our bilateral relations.”

Berisha said he had long discussions with Fukuda about Kosovo’s independence, which has a 90 percent ethnic Muslim Albanian population and has been under the control of the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) since 1999. Kosovo plans to declare its independence sometime this month, according to Berisha.

Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Montenegro, Greece, Macedonia, Serbia and the European part of Turkey are considered part of the Balkans. Countries sometimes included in that list are Moldova, Romania and Slovenia. Greece and Cyprus are the only EU members to raise questions about an independent Kosovo. Both have ethnic Albanians among their populace.

Berisha wants Japan to use its leadership as this year’s chair of the Group of Eight (G8) to take up the Kosovo issue during the next G-8 summit, held in Hokkaido in July. The G8 countries (Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, Britain and the United States) represent about 65 percent of the world economy as well as most of the world’s military power.

“Japan is a fundamental factor of peace and stability in the world, and has a role to play in the Balkans,” Berisha said at press conference in Tokyo. “Independence of Kosovo is crucial for the stability of the Balkans.”

Berisha also suggested an international donors’ conference led by the West to help Kosovo. “It would most likely be led by the United States and Europe,” a senior Albanian official said.

Japan will recognise Kosovo’s independence after the U.S. and EU declare their support, which is expected to happen soon, according to Japanese government sources.

According to Stephen Church, an associate partner at ‘Japaninvest’ in Tokyo, Japan’s interest in Kosovo is tied to U.S. support for that country’s independence. “Japan is tagging along with its close ally the U.S. and the EU,” he said. “It’s the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) versus Russia. Serbia is the bad boy of the Balkans, and the U.S. wants to see it cut down to size because of its close relationship with Russia.”

The battle between Serbia and Kosovo started in 1989 when Slobodan Milosevic became president of Serbia and eliminated Kosovo’s autonomy. Thousands of ethnic Albanians took to the streets and demanded Kosovo’s independence. Then two years later, Kosovo’s clandestine parliament declared Kosovo a sovereign and independent nation. They held elections, but these were declared illegal by the Serbs, and in 1998 Serbia launched a war against Kosovo. After eight months of heavy fighting, which left more than 2,000 dead and thousands homeless, Serbia pulled back its troops under the threat of NATO bombing. A cease fire was proclaimed and the UNMIK was established.

Andrew Horvat, a visiting professor at Tokyo Keizai University, said there is concern in the region that Albanian’s goal is the creation of a “Greater Albania,” which would include Kosovo. Some Western political analysts have presumed in the past that Albania’s political objectives are the creation of an ethnically pure and homogenous Greater Albania.

Berisha disagreed. “I believe in the project for independence for Kosovo. It is in the best interests for stability in the Balkans for everyone to stick to the international borders. If we redraw the map, we will lose 20 to 30 years.”

Russia also is strongly opposed to Kosovo’s independence, because “it would destabilise the Balkans and create separatism throughout Europe and the former Soviet Union breakaway regions,” claimed Russia’s Kosovo negotiator, Alexander Botsan-Kharchenko, in an interview with the Reuters news agency.

However, China is not expected to oppose it, according to Berisha. “China had a good relationship with us when we were a Stalinist regime and we still have good relations with them. They have a more pragmatic policy and see it as a European question. We are in touch with them about it.”

Berisha, a tall, charismatic man, spoke passionately about his country. “It is a different country from the one you read or heard about several years ago. We very much want to join the European Union and hope to receive a North Atlantic Treaty Organisation membership in April. We have worked hard to improve our business environment through lowering tax rates and fighting corruption. My country is now one of the safest in Europe.”

He pointed to the country’s development of tourism and its rich water resources, which can be exploited for hydropower purposes. As a matter of fact, Albania is hoping for Japanese investment in that area.

There are currently no Japanese companies doing business in Albania, but Japan did donate Yen 11.1 billion (105 million US dollars) to help develop a sewerage system plant for Albania’s capital, Tirana.