Sopjani: The Gendarmerie should be formed, but chances are slim under these circumstances

The formation of a Gendarmerie would benefit both Kosovo and the peacekeeping missions in which Pristina participates, but it is unlikely to happen under the current circumstances, former Chief Inspector of the Kosovo Intelligence Agency (KIA) and lawyer, Shkelzen Sopjani, says for Kosovo Online.

Sopjani points out that there have been discussions about forming Gendarmerie units, but he believes the chances of this happening in the near future are slim, given the complicated security situation in the north.

"Still, I think it should happen, and it would make a significant contribution to peacekeeping missions. It would also benefit Kosovo financially, considering that NATO lacks gendarmerie and police forces. They are involved in numerous peacekeeping missions, but as a military force, they don't have sufficient police expertise and experience on the ground, except for the Italian Carabinieri and the French Gendarmerie. The French Gendarmerie isn't highly qualified for police actions, similar to the Serbian Gendarmerie, it is something between a military and a police unit – a military unit with police training and authority," Sopjani explains.

The formation of a Kosovo Gendarmerie would be a good step, but under these circumstances, there won't be significant progress in that direction, as Sopjani assesses.

He does not believe that the formation of this unit aims to bypass the KSF's obligation to obtain KFOR's approval for operations in the north.

"I don't think so, because I don't see any reason why Gendarmerie units would go there, given that we have enough police there, and they are doing an excellent job. The situation in the north is much better than it was last year, except for some complications due to the populist moves we have seen recently, and I think there will be more until the elections," Sopjani states.

According to him, this has nothing to do with the north.

"According to the media, these discussions about forming a Gendarmerie were held much earlier, before there was talk about the north. I think this is intended to contribute to peacekeeping missions since we have KSF members who participate in missions in other countries with British and American forces," Sopjani concludes.