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By Alfred Peza
When a few days ago, the US senior official, Hoyt Brian Yee declared in a forum on economy in Serbia that “you cannot sit on two chairs, even less, when these chairs are far from each other”, these words spread everywhere in the Balkan media and beyond. It is a clear and blunt signal, perhaps one of the most direct messages that an American official of this rank publicly sends out for the Serb political class regarding the strategy that it has inherited from the time of Tito, to be on the side of communism and capitalism, the East and the West.
More than a simple signal addressed to Serb leaders, Yee’s declaration must be read a little differently. We are dealing with a clear sign that the USA has taken the Balkan issue, its stability and its pro Western orientation very seriously since President Trump’s arrival in the Oval Office.
What should we make of this message in the contest of regional developments?
Let us start with Albania.
Yesterday, with the precious aid given by the USA and EU, Albania has started the implementation of the much debated reform in the justice system with the inauguration of the vetting building, which will be the headquarters of a body of judges who will carry out this vital process for the Albanian justice system.
Yesterday, the Constitutional Court also rejected a motion filed by the Association of Judges of Albania with a package of 25 articles against the vetting law.
Thirdly, we saw the resignation of the Albanian secret services, Visho Ajazi, appointed in this post by PM Berisha, as soon as Bujar Nishani was elected President of Republic five years ago. There are no details as to the circumstances and the reasons of this (un) expected step, but one thing is sure: this decision has gone through the US embassy.
All of this and many others, visible and invisible, known or unknown to the public, are clear signs that the vetting process and the judicial reform have now started in Albania, making this an unstoppable process, until the Albanian justice system is fully reformed. A reform, which according to diplomatic sources in Tirana, aims at preventing the judicial system from doing politics and prevent politics from doing “justice”.
In this process, Albania is following the example of several countries who have gone through this road before, en route to their full accession in the European Union.
Croatia went through this process before it became a member. Bulgaria and Romania did it after they became member countries. Behind Albania there’s Montenegro and Serbia, which, in fact, are formally one step ahead of us in the process of integration.
With Montenegro’s accession in the NATO, the country escaped a last minute attempt of “sitting on two chairs”. The discovery of a Russian plot to murder pro Western leaders in Podgorica received lots of attention from regional and international media. The people accused of it had admitted that their goal was to physically eliminate these leaders and that the order had come somewhere from Moscow. This country looks like it is seeking to detach itself once and for all from a former influence and unequivocally orientate itself toward the West.
Two days ago, with the second round of voting in the local elections, Macedonia has taken a historical step toward its final departure from Gruevski’s legacy and the triumph of pro western moderated forces. Zaev’s victory was more convincing than ever before in these local elections, following his victory in last year’s parliamentary elections. This is good news not only for democracy and the investment made by the US and Brussels in Macedonia and the region, but also for Albanians. Now, Albanians in Macedonia can be part of the process of transformation of the state not only formally. They now have the chance to implement for the first time all the points of the Ohrid Agreement, which guarantees them basic rights of cohabitation, real responsibilities in the country’s governance, in all of its levels, from local to a central level in Skopje. The election of an Albania as Assembly Speaker for the first time ever, is expected to be followed by other steps in the future.
Kosovo also went through a test of democracy with the local elections. The second round of voting will certainly bring interesting results, which will improve balances and strengthen rule of law. Now, Pristina must get ready for some of the most important processes since the declaration of independence and the creation of the new state, such as the border deal with Montenegro, dialogue with Belgrade, new recognitions of the state, which have stopped for years, liberalization of visas for its citizens, accession in important international organizations and advancements in the process of becoming a member of United Nations Organization. All of this is expected to be associated with important verdicts of the judicial system concerning the past of former warriors of KLA, who have turned into the main political leaders of the country.
Bosnia and Herzegovina continues to remain a hybrid investment for democracy, which, for many years will continue to cause headaches for the international community, as a result of its survival as a state and the possibility of joining other states of the region in their efforts to joining the EU.
The global geo-political developments could blow away or rescue with a “dues ex machine” the entire quarter century long investment made by Washington and Brussels for the democratization and stability of Western Balkans, following the fall of the Berlin Wall. It’s true that the “two chairs” are far from each other today, but in case of a clash, it would be best if the Balkans was on the right side of history, to play its role, however modest that may be, in this process. Albania made its choice a long time ago. Yesterday, a small step was taken, but it was a step that reconfirms this will and this perspective. It is the effect of a soft revolution which has started a long time ago, which seems to be orientating us toward the right path of a big and irreversible change.
Note: The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect Albanian Free Press’ editorial policy
