From Tirana, Foreign Minister Ferit Hoxha sharpened his tone over the latest statements coming from Belgrade, calling unacceptable the rhetoric that, according to him, fuels tensions and relativizes war crimes. The reaction came during a joint appearance with his Croatian counterpart, at a time when regional relations are once again being strained by politically charged statements.
Tirana’s reaction after statements from Serbia
Ferit Hoxha condemned the statements of Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, who said that Kosovo is part of Serbia, as well as the positions of Serbian minister Snezhana Paunović on the ethnic cleansing of Kosovo.
At the conference held in Tirana with Croatia’s foreign minister, Hoxha placed the emphasis on dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia, signaling that this process, according to Albania’s official position, cannot be built on historical revisionism and the denial of facts.
Criticism of language that relativizes war crimes
The Albanian minister said dialogue cannot move forward through the glorification of war criminals or statements that justify or echo war crimes.
Along the same lines, he described as unacceptable any nationalist and divisive rhetoric that, instead of lowering tensions, reopens old wounds in the region.
Response on the agreement between Tirana, Zagreb and Pristina
Hoxha responded directly to Vučić’s reactions to the military agreement between Albania, Croatia and Kosovo. According to him, bilateral or trilateral commitments by countries in the region should not be used as a pretext for militarization or for inflaming political tensions.
He said no attempt to restore the divisions of the past, fuel tensions or obstruct reconciliation and cooperation can pull the region toward the logic of old conflicts.
Croatia also backs deeper cooperation
The agreement that has sparked strong reactions from Serbia was also commented on by Croatian Foreign Minister Gordan Grlić-Radman.
According to him, the focus remains on deepening regional cooperation and strengthening relations between the two friendly countries, a message that comes in contrast to the heated climate being produced by political statements from Belgrade.
Tirana’s stance in this case left little room for ambiguity: between dialogue and old nationalist rhetoric, the Albanian government is publicly aligning itself with the former.
It remains to be seen whether this verbal clash will stay at the level of statements or further affect the political climate in the region.