• My presentation at the meeting with Senator Corry Booker organized by AACL (my speech and pocket book “Never forget” by Nusret Pllana and Agim Aliçkaj documenting Serbian genocide)

1. FACT-BASED SITUATION

The Albanian people of Kosova and Albania, surrounded by Albanians living in four other neighboring Balkan countries (Serbia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Greece) are the most pro-American people in the world.

Serbia will never turn away from Russia and never align itself with America for any reason. Albania and Kosova were created by America, while Serbia was created by Russia.

Kosova and other Albanian lands were occupied by Serbia in 1887, after the fall of the Ottoman Empire, beginning the genocide and ethnic cleansing of territories in central Serbia (Nish, Toplice, Leskovc, Vranje and other).

There have been five phases of genocide against the Albanian people by Serbia, culminating in 1999: hundreds of thousands killed, millions expelled to Turkey and other countries.

In 1999 alone, 15,000 people were killed, 20,000 women were raped, 800,000 were expelled from Kosova, 1,600 are still missing, and most tragically, 1,543 children, including infants, were massacred in front of their parents

The Serbian genocide against Albanians was carefully planned and executed by Serbian governments, in cooperation with the Serbian Orthodox Church and the Serbian Academy of Sciences. This was documented in 1937 by Serbian politician and writer Vaso Čubrilović in his pamphlet “The Expulsion of the Albanians.”

After the breakup of the former Yugoslavia, Kosova was liberated in 1999 through ground fighting by the KLA and air strikes by NATO, led by the United States. The Serbian army and paramilitary terrorist forces were expelled from Kosova. Unfortunately, the job was not completed after the war, as then–Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman (former President) Joe Biden stated.

Serbia was never de-Nazified. It was never punished for its four unjust wars and two genocides in Bosnia and Kosova. Most war criminals remain free in Serbia.  Only Serbian dictator Slobodan Milošević and a few others faced justice in The Hague. Therefore, today’s Serbia has not changed at all, it is the same as Milošević’s Serbia. Ruled by Vučić’s autocratic regime, Serbia has become Europe’s biggest problem after Russia.

On September 24, 2023, an act of aggression was carried out against Kosova by Serbian terrorists. Their commander, Radoičić, and others who escaped, now live freely and lavishly within the Serbian regime’s circles in Belgrade. Serbia constantly destabilizes Kosova and neighboring countries at will and supports Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Serbia’s demand for greater autonomy for its 4% minority in Kosova has only one goal: to make Kosova dysfunctional, divide it, and destroy it. Meanwhile, around 80,000 Albanians living in southern Serbia are discriminated against and ethnically cleansed by the Serbian regime. Why can’t they enjoy the same rights as Serbs in Kosova? Why can’t they also have an association of Albanian-majority municipalities?

A comparison of rights shows that Serbs in Kosova have their own hospital, a university in the Serbian language, recognized diplomas, 10 reserved seats in parliament with veto power, a minister, and more. Albanians in Serbia have none of these, while over 6,000 of their registered addresses have been removed, stripping them of voting rights.

Criticism of Kosova for violating the human rights of the Serbian minority is absurd.

Kosova is under constant oversight from many journalists, NGOs, international intelligence agencies, and organizations such as KFOR, UNMIK, and EULEX. It could not abuse anyone even if it wanted to.

Serbia has managed to facilitate the creation of a party in Kosova, called Serbian List, controlled and directed by the Serbian regime, to destabilize Kosova from within. The international community forced Kosova to register it as a political party even though it does not recognize Kosova. Imagine the U.S. allowing a political party funded and trained by Cuba or Venezuela to participate in American democracy!

Kosova, led by great democratically elected leaders, President Vjosa Osmani and Prime Minister Albin Kurti, is building bridges, a country for all, promoting human rights and democracy. Unjustly, it has been punished by Europe with “temporary measures” simply for enforcing law and order, just to please the Serbian rebels.

Kosova has accepted and is ready to sign the Brussels Agreement, but Serbia has not. EU diplomats unfairly pressure Kosova to implement only one point of it, the creation of the Association of Serb Municipalities, which would divide and destroy the country.

Europe has fundamentally mishandled the Serbian problem. For geopolitical reasons, and with false hope that Serbia will break away from Russia, many EU politicians and diplomats have appeased Serbia, using the mantra of “both sides” to de-escalate problems Serbia itself has created and escalated.

Unfortunately, the last two US administrations have been supporting Europe’s mistaken policies and failed dialogue, designed to reward the aggressor (Serbia) and pressure the victim (Kosova) to make additional concessions.

Former U.S. Ambassador to Belgrade, Chris Hill, a lobbyist for Serbia, went so far in March 2023 to apologize to Serbia for NATO’s U.S.-led bombings. This act goes against U.S. congressional policy and American interests in Europe.

The main U.S. politician openly opposing Kosova and U.S. interests in Europe is former Ambassador and Envoy Richard Grenell. Influenced by Serbian dictator Aleksandar Vučić, he interferes in Kosova’s internal affairs and tries to undermine democracy.

Grenell has publicly criticized Prime Minister Albin Kurti many times. He now collaborates with the Serb List and the opposition parties (PDK, LDK, AAK) to prevent Kurti, who won 42% of the vote, from forming a new government.

It is widely believed that Grenell and Hill pressured Chargé d’Affaires Anu Pratipati in Kosova to suspend the U.S.–Kosova Strategic Dialogue initiative, to punish Kurti for upholding law and order.

The Trump administration, preoccupied with wars in Palestine and Ukraine, has not paid enough attention to Kosova. However, apart from the strategic dialogue issue, other areas such as economic and military support and confronting Serbia at the UN are encouraging.

In conclusion, America has invested heavily in Kosova since 1999. This investment must be protected, maintained, and further developed. It is essential that America becomes directly and decisively involved. The conflict between Kosova and Serbia can only be resolved by America.

2. WHAT CAN BE DONE IN AMERICA?

All that the people of Kosova expect from American and European diplomats is a fair and equal approach to the problems with Serbia. They seek justice, not revenge against Serbia—which still has not accepted responsibility or apologized for genocide.

While Serbia seeks war and domination over others, Kosova seeks only freedom and the right to exist in peace and harmony with other nations.

I believe that Senator Booker and other senators and congress members involved in foreign policy, from both parties, should consider the following:

• Make public statements, amendments, and congressional resolutions supporting peace, democracy, territorial integrity, and the independence of Kosova.
• Demand the lifting of the suspension of the U.S.-Kosova Strategic Dialogue.
• Ensure that a new U.S. ambassador to Kosova is appointed as soon as possible, in consultation with Albanian Americans.
• Urge the five European countries that have not yet recognized the Republic of Kosova to do so.
• Condemn Serbia for the 2023 aggression and demand the extradition of Radoičić and other Serbian criminals involved in the Banjska terrorist act of September 2023 to face justice in Kosova.
• Pressure the Vučić regime to ensure that Albanians in the Presheva Valley and Sanxhak enjoy the same rights that the Serb minority has in Kosova.
• Demand that Serbia stop promoting hatred and destabilization in Kosova and neighboring countries.
• Make it clear to the Serbian regime that unless it accepts and signs the Brussels Agreement, it has no path to Europe.
• Inform European leaders that they have no right to impose pressure or sanctions on Kosova to create the Association of Serb Municipalities unless Serbia signs the EU agreement and recognizes the Republic of Kosova. Changing borders is absolutely not unacceptable.
• Help Kosova strengthen its defense capabilities.
• The United States should sign a defense agreement with Kosova until Kosova’s membership in NATO is made possible. This is the only way to keep Serbia at bay.

Senator Booker, I hope that you will use your power and influence in Congress to help the most pro-American people in the world, the Albanians of Kosova, live freely, in peace and democracy, in their ancestral homeland.