The seat of political power in Kosovo

By Matthew Paul Gonzalez

 

Thursday 23 June 2022*

Due to some unforeseen scheduling hiccup and some well-timed flexibility, it wasn’t until the very end of the trip, in the last meeting on the last day, that we got to the meet Elizabeth Gowing and (if all too briefly) Albin Kurti, the Prime Minister of Kosovo. In some senses ending the trip on this finale was fitting. We had spent the whole trip learning about all the problems facing Kosovo and the inspirational people working tirelessly to improve the lives of people in their communities. Now we would meet the person charged with the responsibility for all of them. 

 

Consequently, we were all very well prepared for this meeting. We had heard all the perspectives, all the critiques and analysis on Kosovo’s situation and the role of the current government in shaping it. Each of us had formed some kind of opinion on Kurti as a political figure, and we had gotten to know some of Elizabeth’s work based on our memorable trip to the Ideas Partnership earlier that day. Thus, it would be fair to say that all of us were prepared to unleash a barrage of critical and incisive questions on the Prime Minister and his advisor as we walked towards the seat of political power in Kosovo. 

 

However, on passing through the buildings security and entering a wide and very official-looking conference room a certain hush descended over us. While Elizabeth was there to welcome us and made a point of introducing herself to everyone individually, the hovering expectation we might get to meet the Prime Minister and the imposing quality of such a formal setting put everyone slightly off balance. I was even hesitant to drink from the water bottles they had placed in front of each of us, as they were clearly too fancy to be meant for some visiting student. 

 

After a few moments, Kurti entered the room accompanied by a small security detail and a handful of aides. We had been told to refer to him as ‘Mr. Prime Minister,’ but the procedure for whether or not we should stand up as he entered had not been made clear. This led to an agonising moment where one person from the group stood up while the rest of us remained seated, exchanging alarmed glances. In the end, it didn’t matter as Kurti explained he had only come to excuse his absence. The Prime Minister had to attend an important vote in Parliament. Thus, as quickly as he came, he was gone. At least we could cross ‘meet a prime minister’ off our bucket list.  

 

Though Kurti’s departure had left us slightly disappointed, Elizabeth was an intensely interesting person in her own right. As a group, we gained a lot of insights into the inner workings of government, important initiatives and policies, as well as her life as a political advisor. The answer to that final question in one word is ‘busy.’ Though the circumstances surrounding the meeting had made us shy, Elizabeth was impressively honest with us. By this point, the group had come to recognise when we were being smooth-talked by an official, yet — perhaps because of her background in NGO work instead of government institutions — Elizabeth was very open with us. In particular, we learned about her personal feelings towards leaving behind her position in the NGO space to join the government, and what that meant for her impact on and responsibility in Kosovo. In this sense, the meeting with Elizabeth was a fitting note to end on, as she represents an important middle space between the top-down, big institutions and the bottom-up grassroots organisations, a dichotomy that had often emerged throughout the trip. 

 

All of a sudden, an hour had passed and with that, both the meeting and our trip had come to an end. All that was left was a bit of time to buy some souvenirs, have dinner and pack our bags. 

 

Endings always evoke a strange kind of feeling. It’s something intensely human. This feeling of things coming to an end was heightened by the fact that, for many in our group, this moment represented the final chapter of their time at AUC. It would only be fair to say that the evening held a certain melancholy for the group as a whole. However, reflecting on that evening, it’s fair to say that, as far as endings go, Peace Lab and our trip to Kosovo is one to treasure and celebrate.

 *Please note that the  blogposts are not appearing in chronological order of the days of the trip