Vujinovic: The creation of a Kosovo Gendarmerie would mean political pressure on the Serbian community

Security studies researcher Nikola Vujinovic tells Kosovo Online that the possible formation of a gendarmerie within the Kosovo Police would primarily serve as a political message and that the realization of such an initiative would align with the interests of Kosovo's "patrons."

He points out that in European experience, it is common for a gendarmerie to be part of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, hence its colloquial name "internal army." He adds that it is a unit with military capabilities but deals with police tasks, so he views this initiative in several ways, depending on whom it is directed toward.

"The Albanian community is one thing. The goal of this initiative is to show how Albin Kurti's government perceives security and territorial integrity. The second is the Serbs, the Serbian community, against whom a certain tyranny and attempt at intimidation continue. And the third is the international community, because the strengthening of the Kosovo Security Force (KSF) goes against international law," Vujinovic notes.

He reminds that Resolution 1244 does not allow the existence of armed forces, that is, the Kosovo Army.

"Therefore, I see this as an attempt at an intermediary step to create a unit with military capabilities, but that would be somewhat legal. The question for me is whether this initiative, given that it wasn't announced by officials but rather from some security system circles of the so-called Kosovo, is just an electoral narrative?" our interlocutor asks.

He adds that, according to the latest analyses, Albin Kurti's electoral strategy, which involves violence against Serbs, "is yielding results."

"Thus, he will win the elections. Whether he will be able to form a government on his own is still uncertain, but he will win the elections. Therefore, this initiative might be part of some electoral campaign. I believe that the international community would support it if it were implemented," Vujinovic assesses.

Although it is still uncertain whether it will materialize, the initiative would, as he says, suit the "patrons of Kosovo's independence."

"It would alleviate some of the burden caused by the constant arming of Albanians in Kosovo. Because it is about the police, and there is a right for the police to be part of the security forces in Kosovo," he explains.

However, he believes that this is not a way to bypass the obligation of obtaining KFOR's approval for the KSF's actions in northern Kosovo and adds that the Kosovo Police also has the obligation to get permission from KFOR when entering Serbian areas.

According to him, the essence of such an initiative is not in the actual steps that would be taken, but in sending a political message.

"Too many initiatives are coming from certain circles for us to take them seriously right now. I'm not saying it is not serious, I'm not saying it won't happen. But if I hypothetically consider that it will happen, I think it's more about political pressure on the Serbian community, telling them, 'Look, we now have another stick, and this stick no longer needs to be hidden, we can use it,'" Vujinovic concludes.