Prenkaj: Lifting of sanctions enabled Kurti to meet with Macron

Diplomat Albert Prenkaj assessed, commenting on the statement by the President of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic that Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti will request two things from the French President Emmanuel Macron—a ban on the use of French weapons against Albanians, and the withdrawal of KFOR from the Ground Safety Zone, along with the deployment of the Kosovo Security Force (KSF) to the north of Kosovo—that the first request, if the scope of the use of armaments is regulated within the contract, is reasonable, while the withdrawal of KFOR is governed by the Kumanovo Agreement, as well as the 2013 Agreement, which regulates the scope of KSF operations.

Prenkaj emphasized that President Vucic is well-versed in public communication and knows how to convey, “very skillfully,” the information he intends to communicate to the region, Europe, and beyond.

“President Vucic stated that he had secured the agenda of the meeting between Kurti and Macron from ‘Kurti’s circle.’ More broadly speaking, agreements, particularly those concerning the military sphere, contain clauses relating to the manner of use of the subject of the agreement. Let us recall the moment when Kosovo’s Minister of Defense Armend Mehaj attempted to change the destination of armored vehicles contracted with the United States, at which point he was informed that the destination and function of those vehicles could not be altered,” Prenkaj noted.

He further stressed that the arming of the Serbian Armed Forces, as a neutral regional force, can be viewed not only from a security perspective but also from a strategic-political standpoint.

According to him, based on what has been made public, Kurti’s request to the French President—that weapons sold by France to Serbia must not be used against Albanians, as well as that NATO should withdraw from the Ground Safety Zone and that the KSF should be deployed to the north—is contextually unclear.

“The first part of the request, concerning the use of French armaments ‘against Albanians,’ represents an expression of a defensive mechanism, a concern stemming from the public threat ‘when the army returns to Kosovo.’ As for the withdrawal of NATO troops, that is, KFOR, this is regulated by the Kumanovo Military-Technical Agreement, as well as the 2013 Agreement, which defines the scope of KSF operations. This means that, in principle, the KSF may operate explicitly under the command of KFOR,” Prenkaj pointed out.

Prenkaj believes that the lifting of sanctions—which were initially conditioned on the peaceful acceptance of the transfer of power in municipalities with a Serbian majority, and, as he claims, the recent acceptance of documents issued “by illegal institutions of Serbia in Kosovo”—enabled Kurti, after a fairly long period, to officially meet with European authorities, this time with French President Emmanuel Macron.

“The request to ban the use of French weapons, which may indeed regulate the scope of their use within contractual provisions, makes sense. As for the scope of the KSF and KFOR, the provisions are clear, and until another moment of a comprehensive, legally binding agreement, matters follow a clear course,” he concluded.