“When that’s your story, a part of you will always belong to that country,” says Ferizaj.

These new controversies have brought to the surface a long-standing debate: the role of the diaspora in the life of Kosovo. This debate usually flares up every summer, when tens of thousands of expatriates return to their homeland, and it reaches its peak on the eve of elections.

The diaspora is no longer seen as a distant or disconnected body from Kosovo's reality; instead, they are increasingly viewed as an integral part of its political and economic life.

As communities abroad grew and strengthened, traditional concepts of citizenship and political affiliation began to change alongside them.

This identity and political continuity among the diaspora become even more apparent in light of the history of Kosovo and its migratory trajections.

“Often, the way you leave your country directly affects how you relate to it, and it also [affects how you relate to] the country you migrate to,” says Albesa Aliu, a psychologist who lives in Montreal, Canada, where she obtained citizenship a few months ago.

“When I think about my future, I can’t imagine myself engaging in any project where Kosovo is not at its center,” says Pulatani.

Many Albanians in the diaspora have identified politically with LVV from its early beginnings, seeing it as a continuation of the aspirations for social justice and self-determination that have remained unfulfilled since the war.

The main support for LVV in the recent parliamentary elections on the 9th February is largely tied to the Kurti-led government’s efforts to combat parallel Serbian structures in the north of the country.

While for much of the diaspora a sense of trust and hope in the government’s promises still lingers, for others, the initial enthusiasm has waned.

While some in the diaspora view Kurti’s pathos-laden rhetoric as calculated — even a form of instrumentalization — many others consider it acceptable.