Muhaxhiri: Self-Determination politicized the KSF operation in the North; Embassy reactions were expected

Political scientist Artan Muhaxhiri stated that the Self-Determination Movement attempted to gain political advantage by involving units of the Kosovo Security Force (KSF) in the recovery of drowning victims from Lake Gazivode in the north. However, he added that the government, currently in a technical mandate, reacted much more cautiously.

Muhaxhiri said that politicizing a human tragedy is shameful and that the reactions of the German and French embassies were expected, as the situation in the north always carries the potential for escalation.

“Such reactions were to be expected because the north is a powder keg. It is a part of Kosovo with a high potential for escalation, and returning to a state of normalcy is very difficult and requires significant resources,” Muhaxhiri told Kosovo Press.

According to analyst Magbule Shkodra, the KSF has previously conducted search and rescue operations in the north. She criticized the Self-Determination Movement for its ongoing attempts to politicize everything that happens in the north in order to portray it as a political success.

In her words, both the German and French embassies were forced to respond “so that Self-Determination’s propaganda would not gain momentum.”

“Every time something happens there, Self-Determination tries to present it as its own success. The reaction of the German ambassador is also concerning. Ambassadors are obliged to respond so that their [Self-Determination’s] propaganda doesn’t gain traction,” Shkodra stated.