Gecaj: The interests of great powers intersect in the Balkans, military exercises as preparation for defense against aggression

Security expert from Pristina, Hisen Gecaj, stated that the Defender Europe 25 military exercise, which is partly taking place in Kosovo, is the result of regular cooperation between the Kosovo Security Force (KSF) and allied countries to assess their training and their ability to respond to potential aggression. Gecaj emphasized that the interests of major powers intersect in the Balkans, often drawing small nations like Albanians and Serbs into conflicts not of their own choosing.

“These are regular exercises held between the KSF and other partners aimed at evaluating the capability of the units and officers working within them, their ability to participate in such exercises and to respond to any potential aggression. This is standard practice for KSF units, but in the context of current global events — the war between Russia and Ukraine, and the Middle East tensions involving Israel and the Palestinians — these exercises gain even greater importance, as they demonstrate the readiness of those units and commands to face potential wartime threats,” Gecaj told Kosovo Online.

He added that multinational military exercises are now much more intense and of a “higher character” due to the increasingly tense global situation.

That issue, he emphasized, has not spared the Western Balkans either.

“Especially here in the Balkans, where we know there are problems in Bosnia and Herzegovina with the Republic of Srpska and Dodik, who has certain political demands, as well as the unresolved issue between Serbia and Kosovo — negotiations that started earlier are still not completed, and they need to be,” he explained.

Gecaj believes that in uncertain geopolitical circumstances, it is beneficial for every country to prepare for defense.

“That may not be ideal, because we see that nations are in conflict and opposed to each other, but it is good that every nation and state wants to be able to defend itself from potential aggression,” Gecaj underscored.

Although the major war conflicts in the world are more part of global turmoil, this analyst warns that the Western Balkans is a point where the interests of great powers intersect, and that the peoples of the region, such as Albanians and Serbs, are drawn into such conflicts through no fault of their own.

“The interests of great powers intersect most strongly here in the Balkans. Small nations — both Albanians and Serbs — are often, and perhaps through no fault of their own, drawn into conflicts that are not truly theirs,” Gecaj emphasized.