TL;DR
The only possible solution to the Kosovo (Kosovo and Metohija) problem—the solution which will result in permanent peace on the entire Balkan peninsula and peace between us and our Albanian brothers—lies in the CONDITIONED RECOGNITION OF KOSOVO’S (KOSOVO AND METOHIJA’S) INDEPENDENCE, with the United Nations backing up the newly formed state. BOOM!! It’s time to gather up your courage and continue reading the text, instead of skipping the whole thing in order to leave an unwanted comment below.
TERMS
De facto, de jure, sovereignty, integrity, the Socialist Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija (SAP), Republika e Kosovës, the Great Serbia, Shqipëria natyrale, the border and administrative line, we screwed them over, but they screwed us over, too… To a normal person, fighting for their bare life, no matter where they are, these terms mean little to almost nothing.
HATRED AND PREJUDICE
We’ve always believed that life comes in three phases: surviving, getting by, and living in the true sense of this word (one of the next articles will be dedicated to these exact life phases). The most dangerous phase is the ‘getting by’ one. This is the phase we have to go through in order to actually start living our lives (unless your caretaker spared you from going through this period of life with either their work, wits, or corruption).
Why is this the most dangerous phase out of them all? Because people in this phase live in constant fear of going back to the survival phase—and they know this can happen in the blink of an eye. Most people stay trapped in this phase for the majority of their lives and, because of that, they are more prone to manipulation, paranoid fear, and prejudice (which usually give birth to hatred) towards the unknown. Yes, the source of every hatred lies in the fear of the unknown, or not being familiar enough with the object of hatred. If you were to ask a patriotic Serb how many Albanians has he met in his life, he would most likely (in 99% of the cases) say that he hasn’t met a single one.
REVEALING THE TRUTH
Because of the facts stated above, the solution to the Kosovo (Kosovo and Metohija) problem boils down to rooting out the unknown and the prejudice, and revealing the truth. The first step towards making this solution a reality is learning more about our Albanian brothers and sisters through their history, tradition (dances, songs, national clothing, Kanun, etc), and the modern age we’re living in right now, as well as actually getting to know the Albanians themselves.
Our eyes were mended in a “special ophthalmology hospital” called Studentski grad, more specifically in their “cataract surgery ward”—Citaonica (the Reading Room)—while we were reading a book written by a great man, who both the Albanian and Serbian people are indebted to. The “surgeon” in question was Dr. Marko Miljanov Popovic Drekalovic (Medun, April 25, 1833 – Herceg Novi, February 2, 1901), a Montenegrin writer, military leader, and duke from the Kuçi tribe. The “scalpel” was his book called Zivot i obicaji Arbanasa (The Life and Customs of the Arbanasi). After reading it, we learned that people similar to us—and not the Orcs from Mordor as we were led to believe—live both in Albania and Kosovo (Kosovo and Metohija). We became familiar with the Albanian Kanun, which is quite similar to the Montenegrin one.
Moving pictures left an even deeper impression on us. We were watching a German documentary about the Shkreli tribe from the north Albania mountains when we noticed that one of their instruments reminded us irresistibly of gusle (a musical instrument used in the Dinarides region of Southeastern Europe, i.e. the Balkans). They call it the lute. We listened to their decasyllabic songs and heard the same tones that you’d hear coming from our gusle, except in an unfamiliar language. We watched their women wail at funerals and got goosebumps because we felt the same sorrow and raw emotions we had felt during countless Serbian funerals. Blood law, rage, heroism, ethics, family, and other values. Is there a Serb out there who can’t identify him or herself with these values?
After having your eyesight fixed, you’ll need some time to adjust to daylight. Once you do, you’ll start looking at the world in colour, instead of black and white.
THE SOLUTION
Here’s what we would do, if it were up to us. We would pick out the smartest people in Serbia, regardless of their stature and class, and call upon the academics, representatives of the Serbian Orthodox Church, and all other society members who never got their hands dirty. We would then organize a conference in Belgrade or have the Albanians organize one in Pristina—or, better yet, organize both! We would call our Montenegrin brothers and have them be part of the conference, as well. We would pack our finest rakija and slices of ham from the best parts of Serbia and Montenegro (a special thanks goes to Antonije Pusic), bake a pogaca (a type of baked bread), bring some salt, and go to Pristina to have a meeting about the CONDITIONED RECOGNITION OF KOSOVO’S (KOSOVO AND METOHIJA’S) INDEPENDENCE.
What is this all about? It’s about changing the current constitution of Republika e Kosovës by adding an entry saying that the state is now called Republika e Kosovës/the Republic of Kosovo and Metohija. People in this new state are mostly of Albanian origin, with Serbian people and other minorities making up the rest of it. The Serbs have a guaranteed 10% of all the seats in the parliament, while the official languages are Albanian and Serbian. Depending on the environment, both are taught as second languages, too. Their anthem is completely neutral, with no words in it—unless we’re talking about the Albanian version of the anthem, which has a couple of lines in Serbian thrown in, wherever the Albanians saw fit. The flag proudly boasts Republika e Kosovës/the Republic of Kosovo and Metohija. Now THAT is a citizen-oriented republic. Religious communities can get certain benefits and special titles. Monasteries and any other legacy of the Serbian Orthodox Church get to stay under its control, but the new state claims this legacy to be theirs. The Serbs can veto any changes in the constitution, anthems, flags, and the official language.
Belgrade takes a step back in this whole mess and leaves the fate of the Republika e Kosovës/the Republic of Kosovo and Metohija to its citizens. If the Albanians agree to do this for themselves, they will agree to do it for Serbia, too. Belgrade recognizes such independence and the new republic gets a “conditioned” place in the UN, where Serbia’s acceptance of Kosovo’s independence is tied to the unchangeable constitution of the new republic. In case a part of the constitution changes, Serbia revokes the recognition and we all go back to our current predicament.
As a gesture of apology, Serbia decides to financially support the new republic and its people, while the administrative line/border is removed on both ends. Flights from Belgrade to Pristina become a normal occurrence, while the highway Nis-Pristina-Tirana is being built. Pristina allows all the well-intentioned people from Serbia to enter the country, but they do not get to vote, of course. Historians gather to find people “belonging” both to Albania and Serbia: Bekim Fehmiu, Boro and Ramiz, Fadil Vokrri, Veljton Suroi. Belgrade finally admits that it was the Albanians who saved numerous Serbian precious items from the Turks after the great migration. Zivot i obicaji Arbanasa by Marko Miljanov becomes an obligatory reading material for four-graders. Serbian mobile networks function flawlessly on the new state’s territory, and vice versa. Hatchets are buried completely. Heroism and humanity from the late nineties is all anyone can talk about. The Serbs who were forced to leave the country return to their respectful homes—unless we’re talking about the people who had previously sold their property. Over 50 thousand Serbs are reintegrated into the society in Pristina. In order to get rid of any and all prejudice, Serbian and Albanian children take part in student exchanges during the holidays. People stop filling their children’s heads with hatred from the moment they begin to talk. Belgrade supports the new republic honestly and in every possible way, while Pristina supports all the Serbs living in it. Pristina and Belgrade celebrate various successes in sports together, and they keep on working towards processing criminal cases from both countries.
It’s a total cleanse of both of our societies. A hard reset. A new start. Peace, brothers and sisters, peace, love, happiness, and joy.
There are no UCK war leaders at this conference. The Albanians choose their representatives in a way that promises their reputation won’t be tarried ever again. Only the best people from their tribes are present—there are no criminals, drug lords, and white slave traders. There is no room here for Hasim Taci, the Haradinaj brothers, and the rest of them. There are no compromised parties at the conference. No Russia, the USA, or the EU, because the Albanians and the Serbs can pay their own dues and find solutions completely on their own.
EPILOGUE
Did you get a lump in your throat after reading this? Do you feel resentment in your soul, and pain and silent suffering in your heart? That feeling has a name and it is called COMPROMISE. This is not a political solution to the existing problem—this is a human solution. Serbia and the Serbs are sacrificing their own so that they could chase the statehood of Kosovo and Metohija. They are making a surrealistically painful salto mortale, while the Albanians are sacrificing their de facto solid position by recognizing the pain and sorrow their Serbian brothers have gone through throughout both the history and the modern age. Compromise is always a LOSE/LOSE situation, but this one has an immense potential to turn into a WIN/WIN situation.
Let us reconcile for the sake of our children. Let us reconcile for the sake of our future. Let us reconcile for nothing else but ourselves. Help us stop this suffering. Human stupidity hurts, and so does every word spoken in hatred. Let us fight over girls and stolen bicycles. When an asteroid hits this planet of ours one day, without mercy, none of this will matter. Let us marry Serbian “boys” to Albanian girls who are single, and vice versa. Help us restore Serbian villages, and our engineers will help you tame mountains and rivers. Our doctors can take care of your sick. Send your children to the University of Belgrade, and build a student ward in Studentski grad for students from the Republika e Kosovës/the Republic of Kosovo and Metohija.
Love, brothers and sisters, because Kosovo is OUR heart.
ENGLISH + ALBANIAN