Opinion by Gjon Keta
It is no coincidence that now, 27 years after the liberation of Kosovo following the intervention of our international allies—the United States and other NATO member states—certain individuals have begun claiming that “Turkey would have intervened without asking anyone if what happened in Bosnia had happened in Kosovo.”
This narrative has emerged because a negative anti-American, anti-European, and, more broadly, anti-Western climate has been cultivated in Kosovo. As a result of this toxic atmosphere, combined with a lack of cooperation and coordination, even our friend and ally, the United States, along with many European partner countries, has grown frustrated and disappointed. It is precisely in this context that these leaders, whom I see as lacking identity and vision, together with various renegade groups and ideological followers, appear to be nurturing the idea that if the United States and Europe were ever to reduce their presence in Kosovo, Turkey would assume the leading role. Some refer to Turkey as a "brother," while others see it as a more acceptable partner because it has invested in mosques, hammams, and other projects. In reality, Turkey, together with its Serbian ally, seeks to preserve these structures as instruments of religious, political, and supposedly cultural influence, ultimately serving broader ambitions of domination.
In fact, this statement appears to be an attempt to prepare public opinion for a future in which Turkey's role in Kosovo would surpass that of the United States and Europe. Such a development would be deeply harmful and self-destructive for the people of Kosovo and for the country's European future. An old adversary like Turkey, in my view, is not concerned with the well-being of Kosovo Albanians, but rather with advancing its own religious, ideological, economic, and geopolitical interests. Through these channels, it seeks to revive neo-Ottoman influence across this part of the Illyrian Peninsula. We must remain vigilant and ensure that neither we nor our international allies who helped secure our freedom allow Turkey to assume a guardianship role over Kosovo, whether in security or other strategic sectors, because this would amount to ideological, religious, and economic influence, as well as a revival of Ottoman-era ambitions.
Our Dardania and Arbëria are the homeland of Constantine the Great, Gjergj Kastrioti (Skanderbeg), Pjetër Bogdani, Mother Teresa, Idriz Seferi, Adem Demaçi, Ukshin Hoti, Ibrahim Rugova, and many others—not the land of centuries-old conquerors who prevented us from advancing alongside other nations, deprived us of our freedom and independence, and kept us bound by the chains of oppression, ignorance, and poverty, separated from our European family—the place where we breathe freely and exist naturally as an authentic part of our shared European civilization.