Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama sharply criticised Serbia’s position on Kosovo and the Ibar River on Monday, rejecting suggestions that Tirana harbours territorial ambitions and accusing Belgrade of relying on what he called outdated historical narratives.
In a lengthy post on X, Rama said an exchange between Albanian and Serbian foreign ministers over the Ibar River had drifted from water management into arguments over international law, “Greater Albania” and Serbia’s continued description of Kosovo as “Kosovo and Metohija”.
“There is a peculiar piece of political folklore in Belgrade that appears immune to time: whenever Albania speaks about Kosova, ‘Greater Albania’ must immediately be summoned,” Rama wrote.
“It won’t.”
Rama said Albania had no territorial claims against Serbia and did not need the concept of a “Greater Albania” to support Kosovo.
“Kosova is a state of its own,” he said. “The Albanians of Kosova are precisely that: Albanians of Kosova. They have their Republic, their institutions and their right to determine their own future.”
He added that Albania would continue to stand behind that position.
Rama: ‘Serbia lost Kosovo’
Rama used unusually direct language in challenging Belgrade’s position that Kosovo remains part of Serbia.
“Serbia lost Kosova,” he wrote.
“The territory of the Republic of Kosova is not Serbian territory, and the natural resources situated within it are not resources of the Republic of Serbia.”
Serbia does not recognise Kosovo’s 2008 declaration of independence and continues to regard it as part of its territory. Albania was among the first countries to recognise Kosovo and remains one of its strongest diplomatic supporters.
Rama argued that Belgrade itself acknowledges the practical reality of Kosovo’s separate status when Serbian and Kosovar representatives participate in European and regional processes.
Back to the Ibar
Rama then returned to the dispute that triggered the exchange: Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić’s remarks that Serbian experts were examining possible changes to the course of the Ibar River.
The river flows from Montenegro through Kosovo and into Serbia and feeds the Gazivode/Ujman reservoir and the Ibar-Lepenac water system, making it strategically important for water supply, irrigation, industry and energy in Kosovo.
Rama said Serbia was free to manage resources within its jurisdiction but could not disregard downstream consequences.
“The Ibër is a transboundary water system,” Rama wrote.
“What it cannot reasonably argue is that possible consequences for another country magically stop at the Serbian border.”
He said that was precisely why international water law existed.
“Rivers have the inconvenient habit of following geography rather than diplomatic talking points.”
Rights of Kosovo Serbs ‘matter’
Rama also addressed Belgrade’s argument that its concerns stem from the treatment of Serbs in Kosovo.
“Their rights matter. Their security matters. Their property, language, cultural and religious heritage must be protected,” he wrote.
He said Albania had no difficulty supporting those protections because they were obligations of a democratic state toward its citizens.
But Rama accused Serbia of contradiction for warning Albania against ethnic expansionism while simultaneously referring to Kosovo as Serbian territory.
“That is quite a circle to square,” he wrote.
A European argument over borders
Rama framed the dispute as part of a broader debate over how the Western Balkans should understand borders and national identity.
He said he agreed with the idea that borders should gradually become less divisive in a more integrated Europe, but argued that this required first accepting existing borders.
“The genius of the European project was precisely to separate national belonging from territorial appetite,” Rama wrote.
He said Albania’s support for Kosovo was based on shared history, language and family ties but also on its conviction that “a free, democratic and secure Kosova is a legitimate European state and an indispensable part of the stability of our region”.
Rama stressed that Albania continued to want good relations with Serbia and supported Serbia’s European integration.
“We respect Serbia, we want good neighbourly relations with Serbia, and we want the entire region inside Europe – Serbia very much included,” he said.
But he added that good neighbourliness could not require neighbouring countries to accept “Serbia’s version of history”.
The exchange comes amid heightened tensions after Vučić said Belgrade was examining possible changes to the Ibar’s flow, prompting criticism from Kosovo and Albania and renewed debate over transboundary water rights.