Rama: KFOR should take control of northern Kosovo

Prime Minister of Albania, Edi Rama, has called on KFOR to take control of northern Kosovo in order to prevent any major conflict, which according to him is now more likely than ever.

"Things can escalate quickly and far. Therefore, the level of engagement of the Euro-Atlantic community must be raised rapidly. Delaying this step can lead to casualties and armed conflict. In order to prevent a conflict, which seems more likely today than at other times, KFOR must take control of northern Kosovo. This is a proposal I have made before, at the NATO Summit," Rama said.

He added that he had carefully listened to the spokesperson of the European Union who said he could not make statements without the results of the investigation into the incident in Banjska.

"We could agree with the fact that at least Serbia distanced itself from the criminal group that took the life of a Kosovo police officer and announced a serious and independent investigation, but unfortunately, the Republic of Serbia has chosen to honor the victims of the Kosovo Special Forces by declaring a National Day of Mourning. So, what investigation is the EU waiting for, and from whom? From the judicial authorities in Kosovo? We would agree with this, but I have not heard the EU spokesperson say that, and I do not believe that the EU would accept Kosovo's results despite the fact that those who caused this were Serbs and the fact that the Kosovo Police went to the scene to stop the escalation of terror by the Serbian criminal group. Is the EU conducting an independent investigation? It would be good, but we do not know if the EU has engaged in that direction. If we heard this, it would be somewhat reassuring, but only in this direction," he stated.

Rama said they had requested clear condemnations from Brussels of the killings of police officers and the Day of Mourning in Serbia.

"But also, the fact that Serbia paid tribute to an absurd national act by some criminals armed to the teeth who appeared in Banjska with the language of heavy weapons and who were destroyed according to Kosovo's constitutional order. No possible interpretation can change these facts," Rama said.

He emphasized that the leadership in Kosovo certainly had flaws in the process of normalizing relations and dialogue, for which Albania's stance had been the same as that of the EU, and it remained unchanged today. However, none of these flaws could relativize the gravity of the serious developments.

"Here we are on the verge of shedding innocent blood, and it is not the blood of a passerby killed on the road by a Serbian-registered car, but the blood of a Kosovo State Police officer. A loud and clear punishment is needed. Not only because the family of the killed police officer deserves to hear the moral and political authority of the EU, but also because the people of Kosovo and the entire region, which has suffered so much in its history, deserve and expect to hear it," Rama stated.