Burjani: Kosovo far from the regional arms race

Analyst Blerim Burjani says Kosovo needs to arm itself because it has a new army, but that he would nevertheless not call it an arms race.

As he points out, Kosovo is still far from being in a position to say that it is competing with other countries in the region.

“Arming Kosovo must be done according to NATO standards and its rules. On the other hand, Serbia is a regional power. The region needs to cooperate economically, but also in other areas,” Burjani told Kosovo Online.

The first ammunition factory to be built in Kosovo, with the support of Turkey, will have a production capacity of 20 million rounds per year.

The project will be carried out by the Turkish state-owned defense industry company MKE (Makina ve Kimya Endustrisi A.S.), and completion is expected in 2026, Koha reported, citing the Turkish DHA news agency.

The contract for the construction of the factory was signed recently, as one step toward deepening defense cooperation between Ankara and Pristina.