Drecun: There is no question that the Congressmen’s Resolution could push Kosovo toward NATO membership

Chairman of the Defence and Internal Affairs Committee of the Serbian National Assembly Milovan Drecun stated that he sees the resolution introduced by U.S. congressmen in support of Kosovo’s membership in NATO primarily as an expression of their desire to engage politically, emphasizing that there is currently no possibility that such a resolution could alter the situation or initiate any significant processes toward Kosovo’s accession to NATO.

Speaking to RTS, Drecun said that the congressmen’s resolution confirms the continuity of American geopolitical policy in the Balkans, particularly with regard to Kosovo.

He stressed that Kosovo not only fails to meet the conditions for membership, but cannot even seriously contemplate it, as Kosovo Online has previously reported.

“The key prerequisites for any state’s membership in NATO are full sovereignty, which in this case does not exist, the absence of unresolved territorial disputes, and the existence of armed forces interoperable with NATO troops and built according to NATO standards. When you look at NATO’s response to journalists’ questions asking them to comment on this initiative by the congressmen, it was stated, among other things, that progress in the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina must be achieved. That is directly related to the key condition for even considering the membership of the so-called Kosovo in NATO — namely, the absence of territorial disputes,” Drecun said.

According to him, even if someone were to compel Belgrade first to “de facto,” and then “de jure,” recognize what he referred to as the “false state of Kosovo,” territorial disputes would thereby formally cease to exist, but without that, membership is impossible.

“You have four member states that do not agree to recognize the false state of Kosovo. Romania yesterday denied statements made by certain European officials claiming that discussions were underway on the matter, so there will be no movement there… Slovakia has also denied it. This is not about affection toward Serbia on the part of these four countries, or rather five NATO members, but about their own interests and fears that something similar to what happened to us in Kosovo and Metohija could happen to them. Those are realistic concerns, and for that reason I believe their position will remain entirely unchanged,” Drecun said regarding remarks by Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos, which Kosovo Online also covered.

He stressed that Belgrade’s position will not change.

“Do not forget that the United States has long-term geopolitical objectives here, particularly concerning Kosovo. Last year, a decision was adopted for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to participate over the next four years in building infrastructure for American military needs in Albania, while they already have three major bases in Kosovo and Metohija and Bulgaria. This forms the link between the Adriatic and Black Seas. It demonstrates the long-term commitment of the United States to maintaining a military presence. If they want to exercise military control over this territory, they require the soft underbelly of the Balkans, and that is precisely Kosovo and Metohija,” Drecun explained.

Asked whether this means that, by stating in the resolution that Kosovo’s NATO membership is in the strategic interest of the United States in the region and important for security, the congressmen are effectively sending a message to Serbia because of its relations with Russia, Drecun replied: “Both.”

He pointed out that it is not in the geopolitical interest of the United States for Serbia, as the key country in the Western Balkans, to maintain developed economic, political, and even security cooperation with the Russian Federation or with China. Rather, he argued, Washington seeks exclusive dominance in the region and wants Serbia to become fully aligned with the West, above all with the United States, in all three aspects.

“What the congressmen are doing is merely a reflection of that American policy,” Drecun added.

“But when it comes to security — how can security in any region be improved if part of the territory of the most important state in that region is forcibly taken away? In the long run, that cannot lead to stabilization; it will produce new destabilization. But this is the American perspective; this is how they view developments here. They want dominance in this area, they want strategic advantage over China and Russia, and for that they need Kosovo. They want to maintain a military presence there,” Drecun stated.

For that reason, he is convinced that all discussions about the withdrawal of American forces from Europe are unfounded.

“Not only will they not withdraw, they must maintain dominance because this belt stretching from the Adriatic to the Black Sea is of enormous importance to them. They do not want the presence of rival powers there. They would very much like Serbia to join NATO as well, thereby fully consolidating military control over this territory. That is why such initiatives occasionally emerge, and why you even see reactions from Moscow claiming that someone is trying to push us into some kind of alliance or sub-alliance. Of course, that option is entirely excluded from our perspective,” Drecun said.

He recalled that military neutrality means Serbia will not join any military alliance, but will continue to cooperate, citing Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, who recently announced a joint exercise with NATO in May while responding to journalists’ questions about the congressmen’s resolution.

“That is our response in the interest of stability. We are not adversaries, we are not a disruptive factor. We do not want to join NATO, but we do want to cooperate with you, and we demonstrate that in practice. Therefore, do not treat us as opponents. We are indeed a NATO partner country, but we have a problem regarding interpretations of the status of Kosovo and Metohija,” Drecun said.

He recalled that, in accordance with NATO standards, Pristina has for years been working on enhancing the capacities of the Kosovo Security Force and transforming it into an army.

Asked how he interprets this and whether Pristina might succeed in achieving some of its goals, Drecun said this was effectively “preparing the so-called Kosovo for the opening of the NATO accession process, and before that, likely membership in the Partnership for Peace.”

“One of the key conditions for NATO membership is the absence of territorial disputes. From their perspective, that could be circumvented through attempts to force Belgrade into ‘de facto’ recognition of Kosovo. Another extremely important condition is the existence of an appropriate military formation built, equipped, trained, and armed according to NATO standards, interoperable with NATO forces and capable of operating jointly with them, as well as firmly established civilian control over that military structure. The institutions there overwhelmingly support the formation and transformation of the Kosovo Security Force, which has entered the third and final phase of transformation into a kind of Kosovo army. As for armaments, they are supplied primarily by the United States and Turkey,” Drecun stated.

He added that Turkey has maintained continuity both regarding recognition of Kosovo and in relation to building military structures, acting along three lines — training members of the Kosovo Security Force, supplying them with equipment and weapons either through sales or donations, and simultaneously developing their defense industry, primarily weapons production, beginning with drones and ammunition.

“Therefore, in order to prepare the so-called Kosovo for opening the path toward NATO membership, it is necessary to complete the transformation of the Kosovo Security Force and fully convert it into a kind of Kosovo army, while at the same time attempting to politically weaken the opposition of these four NATO member states, or politically bypass them, in order to open the path toward NATO membership. That is an extremely difficult and long-term process,” Drecun said.

He conveyed that during his stay at NATO headquarters he clearly understood that their priorities are not Kosovo’s membership in the United Nations, because they know that is the most difficult objective, nor even membership in the European Union, but exclusively membership in NATO.

“That demonstrates that the interests of the United States in this region are primarily military, and everything else stems from that,” Drecun said.

Reminded that Kosovo holds associate member status in the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, an upgraded status compared to the observer role it previously held, Drecun said that this does not carry particular significance, but rather demonstrates the intentions of the majority of NATO member states and the United States.

“These are their long-term intentions. As for the relationship toward the Kosovo Security Force, I personally raised that issue at the command center in Stuttgart. They told me they view the KSF within its original mandate, as a type of humanitarian organization assisting during natural disasters. They maintain only a very low level of relations with the KSF in Kosovo and Metohija. That is limited to the advisory liaison team and nothing beyond that, precisely because of the opposition of these four states. Therefore, yes, there is an intention among the majority of NATO members, including the United States, to bring Kosovo into the Alliance accession process as quickly as possible,” Drecun noted.

Asked whether the prospect of NATO membership would become one of the themes of the upcoming election campaign, Drecun said that Kurti could use the issue to portray his relations with the United States as advancing.

He is convinced that, although it is well known that the administration of Donald Trump maintains a rather negative attitude toward him, Kurti will nevertheless attempt to present developments as progress toward possible NATO membership, pointing to what he claims are major investments being made.

Drecun added that this could serve as a positive signal to Albanian voters, enabling Kurti to argue that he is strengthening Kosovo’s defense.

“That could be one of the campaign themes,” Drecun said, noting that Kosovo Online had recently also analyzed the issue of what would dominate the election campaign.

Drecun further stressed that the objective of all Albanian parties is for Kosovo to become a NATO member, which is why a kind of sub-alliance within NATO is now being created together with Albania and Croatia.

“They have other plans as well, including attempts to obtain approval from the KFOR commander for the Kosovo Security Force to maintain a permanent presence in northern Kosovo along the administrative line. There is also constant rhetoric portraying them as one of NATO’s most important partners in the region, although genuine partnership cannot really be discussed here. There are several countries that assist, train, and arm the KSF, and there is communication with NATO, but at the lowest possible level and nothing more than that,” Drecun said.

He concluded that there is currently absolutely no possibility that the congressmen’s resolution could change the situation or initiate any significant process toward the accession of the so-called Kosovo to NATO.

“This is a long-term process that cannot presently be realized, and the issue should not even be on the agenda, although preparations for it will undoubtedly continue,” Drecun stated.