The Ministry of Defense of Kosovo is hiding whether it is buying weapons from Turkey

At the beginning of this week, Kosovo was visited by the director of the Turkish company "Baykar", from which Pristina purchased the famous Bayraktar drones. After a meeting with him, the Kosovar Minister of Defense, Ejup Maqedonci, announced investments in other projects in this area. However, nobody knows exactly what these projects are because the Ministry of Defense remains silent, as reported by the Gazeta Express portal.

Kosovo plans to expand its cooperation with Turkey in the military field. After the "Bayraktar TB2" drones, Minister of Defense Ejup Maqedonci announced investments in other projects.

The Minister made this statement after a meeting with the CEO of the "Baykar" Company, Haluk Bayraktar, during his visit to Kosovo.

"Our cooperation with the 'Baykar' Company, which has become a leading military technology firm with its products, has allowed the Kosovo Army to quickly raise its combat capabilities to a level that guarantees territorial defense and security for all our citizens. During this meeting, we discussed the next projects we will invest in, as well as expanding this cooperation", the Minister said after the meeting.

The projects mentioned by Maqedonci are still just ideas, according to the Ministry of Defense. The Ministry refused to provide details on the amount of funds expected for investment and stressed that they could not disclose information about the developing military activities and cooperation.

"As the Minister emphasized in his letter, there had been discussions about projects that were still in the initial conceptual phase. By nature, activities, and cooperation in the military field currently underway cannot be shared with the public", the Ministry's response to Gazeta Express stated.

Former Minister Armend Mehaj also announced new purchases from Turkey in this area during his visit to Turkey, where he met with Bayraktar. Mehaj described the purchase of drones as one of the largest investments in the military in recent years.

"To express my gratitude for the principled and reliable cooperation and to explore other areas in which we can increase our defense capabilities, I met with the head of the Baykar Company, Haluk Bayraktar. Equipping our army for defense purposes will continue to be our priority in accordance with NATO standards", Mehaj wrote on Facebook after the meeting.

The Ambassador of Turkey in Kosovo, Sabri Tunc Angili, also spoke about the drones purchased by Kosovo from Turkey. He stated that the arrival of the Bayraktar TB2 drones in Kosovo was a result of an agreement, not a donation.

"Prime Minister Kurti has already given a statement to the media, and it seems to me that he has provided an answer. So, it's an agreement, not a donation. In fact, we are not only Kosovo's defense partner. Kosovo is a strategic partner of Turkey, and vice versa. Being a strategic partner means developing all areas, including defense. But in Kosovo, we have developed significant economic cooperation. We have investments in various sectors: banks, airports, electricity distribution, production, and Turkish companies also increase employment in Kosovo. Investments in Kosovo account for 10% of our investments in the Balkans. Last year, Turkey became Kosovo's number one partner, and we want to have economic and commercial cooperation; this is important to us", the Ambassador said.

Asked whether other drones would be delivered to Kosovo, the Turkish diplomat said it depended on Kosovo's needs.

"It depends on Kosovo's needs, but so far, the Kosovo Defense Forces have been undergoing cooperation, training, and some cooperation with military leaders. That is our primary focus. If the Government of Kosovo wants to acquire additional equipment beyond these needs and beyond the framework of NATO, then Turkey and other countries will respond to these needs. So far, this has not been on our agenda", Angili said.

Kosovo's Prime Minister Albin Kurti also confirmed the purchase of drones on his Facebook account. Kurti did not specify how many of these aircraft are equipped but simply stated that the Government had purchased them from Turkey.

Following Kurti's post, KFOR issued a statement regarding the use of drones, stating that the "upper airspace of Kosovo can only be used for flights over Kosovo from one country to another for commercial flights", and that for everything else, KFOR approval was required.

"The upper airspace of Kosovo can only be used for flights from one country to another over Kosovo for commercial flights; the lower airspace can be used for specific needs on a case-by-case basis with the prior approval of the KFOR Commander. We expect institutions in Kosovo to provide coordination and adhere to existing procedures", their statement reads.

The "Bayraktar TB2" drone can stay in the air for up to 27 hours and is powered by a simple propeller engine, enabling it to fly up to 150 kilometers from its base. This aircraft has the capability to carry four "smart micro-munition" missiles precise enough to destroy armored vehicles from several kilometers away.

Several countries' militaries use drones of this type, and they have also been sent to Ukraine to assist Kyiv's forces in fighting the Russian military.

Despite the fact that the price of the "Bayraktar TB2" drone has not been publicly disclosed, earlier this year, a fundraising campaign was organized to purchase such drones for Ukraine, and the organizers of the fundraising campaign suggested that it would cost around 5 million euros for one drone.