Clash between Rama and Vetëvendosje: The Special Court restores tensions between Tirana and Pristina
2025-10-16 10:39:25
TiranaPost
The recent clash between Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama and the Vetëvendosje Movement has brought the sensitive topic of the Special Court for Kosovo and past positions towards it back to the center of political debate.
The reason was the announced protest in Tirana for the release of the former leaders of the Kosovo Liberation Army, where Rama reacted harshly to Vetëvendosje's accusations, while the latter responded with irony that Rama once supported the creation of this court.
Rama's post:
"The Vetevendosje Movement has dedicated a long sheet to me, where it is written that 10 years ago I was in favor while it was against the Special Court... Meanwhile, I have denounced the farce against Hashim Thaçi and others whenever and wherever there was a chance or need, while the Movement is known to have moved in that direction. But I am not in any kind of competition with the Movement and I regret that the Movement confuses Kosovo's institutional relations with Albania in the mud of municipal run-offs, while regarding the positions of the past 10 years - when it did not even recognize the Kosovo anthem or the innocence of Hashim Thaçi, whom it would love eternally in The Hague - I remind the Movement that the Special Court was established for organ trafficking, not to take the President of the Republic of Kosovo hostage. And finally, I am neither the organizer nor the speaker of the nationwide protest "Justice for the Liberators", which I support despite "I would have joined it as a simple participant, if I were not aware that any intentional or unintentional politicization of that initiative would harm its purpose and popularity," Rama writes.
What did the Vetevendosje Movement write earlier?
Full post:
The VETËVENDOSJE! Movement stands with all citizens who are protesting and demanding justice for the former leaders of the Kosovo Liberation Army in Tirana. Our position on the Special Court remains unchanged.
We recall that the Special Court did not come about on its own, but began in 2008 from a resolution proposed to the Council of Europe by the chairman of the deputies of the Russian Federation in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, Konstantin Kosachev, but which was adopted as a resolution at the proposal of Senator Dick Marty in 2011.
The Kosovo Liberation Army's war was just and necessary. On the other hand, the prosecution's claim that a criminal group existed within the KLA is incorrect and unjust. The KLA was not a criminal enterprise and did not have such structures. On the contrary, Serbia should be tried for war crimes, it is the cause of genocide and massive and systematic crimes against the people of Kosovo.
However, for our sincere progress as a state and as a nation, we must definitely reflect on our positions towards this Court at the time it was established. Reflection is not wrong, but in this regard, many of those who today oppose the Special Court were yesterday the biggest lobbyists for its establishment. Before protesting, these actors and politicians should show at least a minimum of remorse for their wrong positions in the past. A clear example is the current Prime Minister of Albania, Edi Rama, who even came to Kosovo on an emergency visit by helicopter to convince the parties here to vote in favor of the establishment of this Court.
But, the VETËVENDOSJE! Movement, as then in 2015, as today in 2025, is unwavering that justice must illuminate the truth and the truth cannot be other than on the side of the war and the relentless effort of the people of Kosovo for liberation and independence like other peoples.
On the other hand, the institutions of Albania, as a member state of the UN, the Council of Europe, the OSCE, NATO and very close to the European Union, have the responsibility and opportunity to raise this issue in these international forums, where justice is discussed and decided, and not in "Skënderbe" Square in Tirana.
Likewise, Kosovo's friendly states that already enjoy membership in these organizations must do much more to protect the truth of our war and to advance justice. Just as more must be done in these forums to recognize the genocide and prosecute the crimes against humanity and war crimes that Serbia committed in Kosovo and throughout the Balkans.
