Commenting on the announcement of the imminent formation of the Armed Forces of Kosovo, former Minister of Foreign Affairs Petrit Selimi says for daily Danas that the question remains how the next few days and weeks to continue towards the joint goal in enabling Kosovo to implement the sovereign decision to establish its own army.
Selimi also argues that Belgrade has no say nor it can block the formation of this army.
– I’m not too worried about the track, when the goal is clear and undeniable – a multi-ethnic Kosovo and defence forces, deeply rooted in the values of NATO, concludes interlocutor of Danas.
MP of the group of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament Tanja Fajon told Danas that she believes that “in the context of increasing tensions in the region, forming a Kosovo army represents adding oil to the fire, which would not bring anything good at this moment.”
– As the EU and NATO representatives warned, the transformation of the Security Forces into the Armed Forces of Kosovo would not be possible without changing the constitution, for which at present there is no political will of Serbian representatives in the Kosovo Parliament. That is why I am convinced that it would be good to focus on the dialogue between Pristina and Belgrade, which at the moment is not satisfactory, not on the differences between the two sides that may lead to a deepening disagreement. I think at this point it is important that everyone in the region hold their horses and place their political interests aside and act responsibly.
President of the Forum for Ethnic Relations Dušan Janjić on the occasion of conflicting positions between Belgrade and Pristina, told Danas that “there are lots of spins, on one side and on the other side,” but that “one should not have illusions” when it comes to the formation of the army of Kosovo that Pristina is working alone.
– NATO and the United States have long been working to form an army in Kosovo, and I believe that this will happen by the end of this year. Pristina is trying to accelerate that process, primarily due to the recent “case of the train” and the threats of Serbian President Tomislav Nikolić on sending troops to Kosovo, and seeks to profit from the bad messages that have arrived from Belgrade, as well as from the fact that in Serbia pre-election campaign is on-going, and that Russian influence has strengthened lately. It must be said that since 2008, the Kosovo Constitution states that Kosovo should have an army, but with a provision on respect for the principle of minority representation, which means that at least one Serb deputy was required to be present at the assembly hall for such a decision, said Janjić to Danas.
He pointed out that deputies of the Serbian List should quickly decide whether they will return to the Kosovo parliament, stating that if they continue to boycott the work of the assembly “will not be formed even the Community of Serb municipalities.”
