Radulovic on the Ankara–Pristina agreement: Whenever Kurti runs into political problems, he turns to the issue of the KSF and the procurement of new weapons

Turkey and Kosovo recently signed a new military cooperation agreement worth 200 million Turkish lira, and military analyst Vlade Radulovic told Kosovo Online that whenever Albin Kurti runs into a certain kind of political problem in Kosovo, he resorts to issues concerning the Kosovo Security Force, as well as announcements of new arms and military equipment procurements.

“First of all, this is nothing new. Turkey and Kosovo have had a strategic level of cooperation for years. Turkey is perhaps one of the most significant actors supporting the transformation process of the Kosovo Security Force in every sense, from December 2018 until today,” Radulovic said.

As he pointed out, the cooperation does not relate only to donations of weapons, military equipment, and systems, but also to the training of officer and non-commissioned officer personnel.

“These are long-established relations. The third important dimension is the establishment of production lines, primarily for ammunition and small arms, but also potential facilities for drone production in the future,” he said.

He added that the signing of the agreement immediately before the elections undoubtedly also carries a political connotation.

“It seems that whenever Kurti ran into a certain kind of political problem in Kosovo, he resorted to issues concerning the Kosovo Security Force, announcements of new arms procurements, or military equipment. That is why this is not the first time such things have happened ahead of elections, and it probably will not be the last,” Radulovic assessed.

At the same time, he believes that Ankara is using this move to confirm the continuity of cooperation with Pristina.

“This can certainly also be interpreted as support for Self-Determination and Albin Kurti’s policies. However, the timing of the signing is also important,” he stated.

He recalled that the previous delivery of Turkish drones came after military cooperation between Serbia and Cyprus.

“At the time, it was a direct response to the delivery of our artillery systems to Cyprus,” the interviewee said.

He also pointed out that the agreement was signed during a major arms fair in Turkey, which further adds significance to the entire event.

“Such events also serve the organizers by showing how many agreements have been signed with domestic and foreign companies, as well as with various armed forces. It is part of the promotion of the Turkish military industry,” he explained.

Radulovic particularly highlighted the model of financial assistance applied by Turkey.

“A sum of around 200 million Turkish lira is being mentioned. However, the practice is such that the money is formally intended for strengthening the capacities of the Kosovo Security Force, but the end user does not actually receive the money directly. Turkish funds remain within its own industry – companies manufacture vehicles and equipment and then deliver them to Kosovo. So, from a budgetary standpoint, the money remains in Turkey, even though it is formally recorded as aid,” Radulovic explained.