UNMIK Media Observer, Afternoon Edition, June 8, 2023

Albanian Language Media:

Kurti: If there is compatibility, I can deepen my draft vision for Association (Reporteri)
Albanian PM Rama submits draft on Association to Macron and Scholz (media)
Hoxhaj: Rama is trying to help Kosovo, not damage it (Nacionale/Paparaci)
Gashi to Rama: Only government of Kosovo is competent for Association (Koha)
Bislimi: Belgrade wants Association as Trojan Horse, preparing way for partition (Koha)
US Assistant Secretary of State Robinson postpones visit to Kosovo (Nacionale)
Kearns and Kurti talk about the need to de-escalate the situation (RTK)
Ambassador Szunyog reiterates the EU's call for return to dialogue (Reporteri)
Mehaj talks to Clark about the latest situation and easing tensions (Klan)
Kurti attends farewell reception for EULEX chief (media)
“Vucic's pretence coming out, surprisingly international factor trusts him” (Koha)
AmCham in Kosovo calls on govt to take measures to lower tensions in north (media)

Serbian Language Media:

Serbs in northern Kosovo continue gathering (KoSSev, media)
Petkovic: Kurti’s accusations of Belgrade no longer fly in West (Kosovo Online)
Andric-Rakic, Petronic about situation in northern Kosovo, ‘lists of Serbs’ (Radio Mitrovica Sever)
Vucic thanks India for supporting Serbia's territorial integrity (Tanjug)
President Murmu delighted to visit Serbia on her first trip to Europe (Tanjug, media)
Vucic: There will be no transitional gov't as long as I am president (Tanjug, media)
Opposition reacts to Vucic, Brnabic public address (N1)

International:

Turkey Likely to Take Command of NATO-led Force in Kosovo (Bloomberg)
Kosovo’s Kurti Under Mounting Pressure Amid Quarrel with Western Allies (BIRN)

Albanian Language Media

Kurti: If there is compatibility, I can deepen my draft vision for Association (Reporteri)

Today at the Assembly of Kosovo, MP from the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) Ariana Musliu Shoshi, asked Kosovo’s Prime Minister Albin Kurti whether he started to work on the drafting of the Association's statute and whether he has formed a team that would deal with this issue, and where does Kosovo stand in this point.

Kurti said that in the last meeting on May 2, he presented the Draft Vision for what is stated in article 7 of the basic agreement and in relation to article 10 where according to Kurti it is said that all agreements that are binding and valid must be implemented and that according to him, out of 39 of them, 2 of them are related to the Association.

"I was inspired by Croatia's model for national minorities for three reasons. The first reason is that Croatia also came out of the war during the violent breakup of former Yugoslavia like Kosovo, the second because Croatia is an example of the success of a member country in the European Union and NATO and the third because Serbia already has an agreement with Croatia for good neighbourly relations and for the normalisation of relations and where, of course, the rights and mechanisms for national minorities are seen", Kurti said.

He said that he cannot draft alternative texts without prior agreement in principle.

"When we agree in principle, including those pillars that I stressed in Ohrid on March 18, then we can deepen the text,” he said.

"According to the 2013 normalisation agreement, namely its implementation plan, it is foreseen that the statute will first be proposed by the management team. As part of reaching the agreement in Brussels and Ohrid this year, Lajcak determined that the draft compiled by the management team to be presented at the high-level meeting of the Kosovo-Serbia Dialogue on May 2 in Brussels", Kurti said.

He said that his government did not agree with the Draft of the Management Team because that draft imitated the Serbian Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina in form and content.

He added that the composition of the Management Team was changed three times by the previous governments and according to him, the Minister of Local Government released the Management Team last time due to serious violations of the principles.

"From now on we can discuss within the framework of the Brussels dialogue. So, it is an open issue from the Brussels point of view, for the implementation of Article 7 of the Agreement according to my vision presented in Brussels and which represents the letter and spirit of the constitution of our Republic, the transatlantic consensus of the values of liberal democracy and the integrative character of our state ", Kurti said.

Albanian PM Rama submits draft on Association to Macron and Scholz (media)

The leading story in most Kosovo Albanian news websites today is Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama’s announcement that on Wednesday he submitted a draft on the Association of Serb-majority municipalities to French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. He said he also notified the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, and Washington, about the draft.

According to Rama, the draft was prepared by senior American and European experts “for some time now” and “precisely if this day would come when the two sides [Kosovo and Serbia] would not agree on either who should draft the text and let alone what it should contain”. Several media outlets highlight Rama’s remarks that neither Kosovo nor Serbia want the Association and that “they will delay the process and keep open the crisis in the north”. Rama argued that the Association is the key to opening the door of Kosovo’s international affirmation and its seat at the United Nations.

Asked by reporters, Rama said that he did not consult Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti on the matter. He also went on to say that the fate of all of Kosovo and not that of Albin Kurti alone is at stake. “We cannot stand aside and watch … because there is a very big threat that Kosovo is facing, and not from Serbia but from the reduction of relations with its allies, and in this respect, Kosovo would be the biggest loser,” he argued.

“Albin Kurti is being blamed by the whole democratic world and this is causing me only remorse. I am not here to judge or attack Albin Kurti. I am trying to contribute, because one [Kurti] is sending the police to empty buildings, while the other [Vucic] is sending the army at the border”.

Rama also called on the Kosovo government to withdraw police from what he called “empty” buildings in the northern municipalities.

Hoxhaj: Rama is trying to help Kosovo, not damage it (Nacionale/Paparaci)

Deputy leader of the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) and Vice President of the Kosovo Assembly, Enver Hoxhaj, said today Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama is trying to help Kosovo, by submitting a draft for the Association of Serb-majority municipalities to French President Macron and German Chancellor Scholz, Nacionale news website reports.

“I think that with his proposal Rama is trying to complement the interests of the state of Kosovo at a critical time and is in no way trying to damage these interests. My fear is that with the way that Kurti is managing the situation in the north, we could move to a full protectorate which can result in territorial autonomy,” Hoxhaj told reporters.

Hoxhaj also said that Rama has always supported Kosovo on its path. “Firstly, I welcome and highly appreciate Prime Minister Rama’s contribution and Albania has certainly had a role in the past and should have a role today too in overcoming the situation. Secondly, the Association is not an invention by Prime Minister Rama. It has been an obligation since 2013 and I was in favour of its creation even then. If it would have been created in 2013, we wouldn’t be having these problems today,” he said.

“Kurti has accepted the Association as the seventh point with a new package of self-management. In my opinion, as Vice President of the Assembly, I think that Prime Minister Rama’s initiative should be supported in Kosovo”.

Paparaci news website quotes Hoxhaj as saying that he has seen the draft for the Association but that he does not want to comment on it.

Gashi to Rama: Only government of Kosovo is competent for Association (Koha)

The head of the Parliamentary Group of the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) Arben Gashi, has said that only the Government of Kosovo and no one else is competent to propose the statute of the Association of municipalities with a Serb majority.

"To be clear and precise; competent for the proposal of the Association's statute, as well as the management with international partners, is only the Government of Kosovo, no one else, no government of any other country", Gashi wrote on Facebook.

Bislimi: Belgrade wants Association as Trojan Horse, preparing way for partition (Koha)

Kosovo’s First Deputy Prime Minister and chief negotiator in the talks with Serbia, Besnik Bislimi, said in a Twitter post today that “Kosovo has repeatedly warned the int'l community about Serbia's true reasons for insisting on the formation of the Association of Serb-majority municipalities. ASMM was never intended to integrate local Serbs into Kosova, but as Belgrade's Trojan Horse to make the country dysfunctional, thus preparing the way for partition.”

Citing parts from a non-paper prepared recently by the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Bislimi notes that “it provides the strongest evidence thus far on the true intention behind Serbia's insistence on ASMM in Kosovo”.

Bislimi writes that “the establishment of ASMM is not an objective in itself, but rather represents one important step towards the overarching goal of a "Serbian world" ("Srpski svet") coinciding with the territory of the former Yugoslavia. ASMM's initial design is irrelevant, as its competencies will evolve & be exploited due to Belgrade's financial support & the Kosova Govt's relative lack of oversight. These competencies will eventually lead to a new Rep. Srpska w/ the aim of territorial separation btw. Albanian & Serb territories. This will then force the int'l community to recognize the existence of two national entities in Kosovo, and absolute autonomy in ASMM areas. This autonomy will entail that Serbs will have zero need to interact with the Kosova Govt, thus making ASMM a “cuckoo’s egg” in Kosovo’s territory. Serbia believes the main comparative advantage it currently has, and should exploit, is economic superiority in the region. In current circumstances, the ultimate aim of “Srpski svet” cannot be realised solely by political means. Other means must also be exploited, including religious mechanisms with potential for political impact in neighbouring countries where the Serbian Orthodox Church operates. ASMM's founding should thus be the key imperative for Serbian policymakers, providing a nucleus for the century-old aim of unifying the Serb. nation. The non-paper perfectly explains Belgrade's insistence on ASMM, but should make the int'l community reconsider their own.”

U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Robinson postpones visit to Kosovo (Nacionale)

U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, Todd D. Robinson, has postponed his visit to Kosovo. A spokesperson for the U.S. Embassy in Pristina told Nacionale news website that “because of the current crisis in the north of Kosovo, Assistant Secretary Robinson has postponed his visit to Kosovo. We call on all parties to undertake immediate steps to de-escalate the situation and return to the EU-facilitated dialogue”.

Kearns and Kurti talk about the need to de-escalate the situation (RTK)

Alicia Kearns, chairperson of the Committee for Foreign Policy in the British Parliament, has announced through a post on Twitter on Wednesday that she had a telephone conversation with the Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti.

"Good to talk to Albin Kurti, at the beginning of this week regarding the situation in Kosovo, the need to de-escalate tensions and to speak clearly about the destabilising factors", she wrote on Twitter.

This week the British Parliament discussed the situation in Kosovo. The conservative member of the British Parliament, Alicia Kearns, has called for the crisis in the north of Kosovo to be urgently addressed and has demanded an answer from the British government for the excessive pressure of the allies on Kosovo. Kearns called the boycott of the local elections in the four northern municipalities external interference from Serbia.

"If hostile forces were to take control of a president's office in Great Britain, we would not say, well, go and work from home, but we would say that this is an attempt to suppress democracy," Kearns said in her speech.

Meanwhile, the Minister of State at the Foreign and Development Office in Great Britain has said that there are concrete commitments from Great Britain for the extension of the situation in the north of Kosovo.

Ambassador Szunyog reiterates the EU's call for return to dialogue (Reporteri)

The Ambassador of the European Union in Kosovo, Tomas Szunyog, has called on the Assembly of Kosovo to prioritise reforms related to the EU.

"We discussed with the EU Integration Commission, Kosovo's progress towards the EU and we called on the Assembly to prioritise the reforms related to the EU", he wrote on Twitter.

The EU diplomat announced that they also discussed the situation in the north and repeated the call for the parties to return to dialogue.

Mehaj talks to Clark about the latest situation and easing tensions (Klan)

Kosovo’s Defense Minister Armend Mehaj said that mutual recognition between Kosovo and Serbia would contribute to peace. He made these comments after a conversation he had with U.S. General Wesley Clark.

"In the wake of constant consultations and counselling, today we had a conversation with the greatest friend and ally of the Republic of Kosovo, General Wesley Clark."

"We discussed the current situation and the reduction of tensions. We will travel side by side with our partners and especially with the USA as an irreplaceable ally".

"Mutual recognition between the Republic of Kosovo and Serbia is what would contribute to peace. Our path remains the one towards NATO and the EU", Mehaj said through a post on his Facebook account.

Wesley Clark in 1999 led the NATO air campaign against Serbian forces.

Kurti attends farewell reception for EULEX chief (media)

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti said on Wednesday that “the ultimate aim of foreign aid institutions is not to stay forever in the countries that they help. Rather, it is to prepare those countries to stand on their own two feet, or to ditch their training wheels, if you’ll permit me to mix my metaphors. In this sense, the most fitting way a Government can express its thanks to a foreign aid organization is to tell it that it is no longer necessary”. During a farewell reception for EULEX Lars Gunnar Wigemark, Kurti said: “the highest compliment that I can give to Ambassador Wigemark, as he the highest compliment I can pay to Ambassador Wigemark — as he closes three-and-a-half years of distinguished service — is that under his leadership, the European Union Rule of Law Initiative has, for the most part, become more unnecessary than ever before. This is because the rule of law in Kosova has never been stronger. Kosova has made significant progress in this area, especially in the past two years. We have improved by 20 places in the Transparency International Corruption Perception Index. We have made progress in Reporters without Borders’ World Press Freedom Index, in which we have risen 22 places in the global rankings. And according to this year’s Freedom House report, Kosova ranks first in the Western Balkans, second in Europe and third in the world for progress made in political rights and civil liberties.”

Kurti also said that “there is, however, one part of Kosova where EULEX has indeed been necessary, especially in the past few weeks. That is in the north of Kosova, where the rule of law has yet to be fully established. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the brave men and women of EULEX for their service, alongside the Kosova Police and KFOR peacekeepers, in helping maintain law and order against the violent militia and criminal groups instigated and sponsored by Belgrade. And I join the U.S., EU, and our other allies in condemning the violent attacks of those mobs on EULEX security officers.”

“Vucic's pretence coming out, surprisingly international factor trusts him” (Koha)

Klisman Kadiu, adviser of the deputy prime minister, Besnik Bislimi, has said that the president of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, is not telling the truth.

Kadiu mentioned an interview where Vucic said last week that he does not control and cannot influence the gangs and Serbs in the north of Kosovo. He also mentioned the statement of the U.S. emissary for the Western Balkans, Gabriel Escobar, who said on Wednesday that Vucic promised to influence the Serbs in the north to participate in the upcoming elections.

"Now, do you control them or not? Does he have an impact or not? Why does Vucic speak so confidently about the behaviour of the Serbs, when according to his words he does not control them? Where does he get this courage to give assurance only a week later at internationals? The answer is simple: Vucic's lies are being exposed by Vucic himself. Through its contradictions. Surprisingly only to the international factor he is reliable. The President of Serbia is interested in maintaining the status quo, chaos, and countless attempts to destabilise Kosovo. He is hindered by the progress of our country, hindered by past and present agreements that he must implement, hindered by the state of Kosovo. Because as he himself said in 2018, 'I have no intention of handing over the north of Kosovo'. And this is what this person said in 2018, while telling now on CNN that he 'doesn't control the gangs in the north'", Kadiu wrote.

AmCham in Kosovo calls on govt to take measures to lower tensions in north (media)

The American Chamber in Kosovo in a press statement today called on the Kosovo government to demonstrate commitment toward international partners with the aim of de-escalating the situation in the north. “Investors want sustainable and safe environments for their businesses, whereas continued tensions can undermine the trust in Kosovo’s economic prospects. Tensions and clashes create an atmosphere of uncertainty and unpredictability, which impedes potential investors,” the statement notes.

The AmCham expressed its concerns over the latest developments and “the lack of readiness by the Kosovo Government to coordinate its efforts with international partners, including the U.S. and the EU.”

“The American Chamber wants to reiterate that the United States have been an unwavering supporter of the independence of Kosovo and have played a key role in creating it as a sovereign state. Through diplomatic efforts, the U.S. has continuously advocated for Kosovo’s recognition by the international community, by promoting its integration in global institutions and helping its economic and political development”.

The AmCham also said that the European Union too plays a crucial role in supporting the political and economic development of Kosovo, by offering financial aid, technical expertise and guidelines for reforms in different sectors.

“Access to EU funds and programs facilitates the development of infrastructure, the generation of new jobs and the improvement of public services. Therefore, considering the impact of the current situation on socio-economic developments in general, and on the private sector and efforts to attract investments in particular, the American Chamber in Kosovo calls on the Government of Kosovo to immediately consider the calls from the U.S. and the EU to de-escalate the situation in the north of the country,” the statement concludes.

Serbian Language Media

Serbs in northern Kosovo continue gathering (KoSSev, media)

New crisis in northern Kosovo entered its 14th day. The night went peacefully, and people this morning as well started gathering in front of the municipal buildings, taken over by the Kosovo special police forces on May 26. KFOR units are still present, although in smaller numbers, the KoSSev portal reports.

Only a few dozen metres away from the municipal building in Zvecan, a kindergarten Lane (Fawn) opened this morning, after ten days of closure because of the security situation. Kindergarten in Mitrovica North also opened today.

KFOR works on establishing the trust with local residents, the portal notes, adding that soldiers presented candies to children in Zvecan today.

Protests also continue in Leposavic, where voluntary blood donation is planned for today. KFOR removed part of the barbed wire in front of Leposavic municipal building.

Serbs continue insisting on the demands, including withdrawal of Kosovo special police units from the municipalities, Albanian mayors not to come to the municipal facilities located in the Serb-majority areas and that two Serbs arrested on May 29, Dusan Obrenovic and Rados Petrovic are released.

Withdrawal of special police forces that violently entered municipal buildings in northern Kosovo is also requested by the international community, blaming Pristina for all what happened after that “unilateral and provocative act”.

The international community also requested holding of new elections in northern Kosovo, that Albanian mayors perform their functions from alternative locations and urgent resumption of the dialogue.

Petkovic: Kurti’s accusations of Belgrade no longer fly in West (Kosovo Online)

Office for KiM Director Petar Petkovic said that “standard repertoire of unfounded accusations by Albin Kurti against Belgrade and senseless insults of the Serbs in northern Kosovo no longer fly among decision-makers in the West”, Kosovo Online portal reports.

According to Petkovic all Kurti’s attempts to avoid obligations to mitigate consequences of the escalation, he caused himself, are doomed to fail.

Petkovic further said that instead of continuing “propaganda in foreign media, trying to blame others and justifying the recent escalation in the north” Kurti should give up on attempts to cause destabilisation of the region and conflicts of wider proportions.

“The only violent gang in the north of Kosovo and Metohija is Kurti’s special police, sent there to terrorise, mistreat and murder barehanded members of the Serbian people”, Petkovic said.

Petkovic added he is convinced that Serbs in four northern municipalities will remain persistent in their peaceful and democratic protests, and urged representatives of the international community on the ground to remain decisive in their resoluteness “to prevent further Kurti’s attempts to incite the conflict”, adding Serbs will continue to be constructive actor in a peaceful pursuit for political solution that would guarantee their collective rights.

Petkovic once again stressed that instead of “stubbornly defending in the international media the legacy of his defeated policy of hatred and violence”, Kurti should immediately unblock the process of establishing the Community of Serb Municipalities and put an end to deepening divisions between Serbian and Albanian peoples in Kosovo.

Andric-Rakic, Petronic about situation in northern Kosovo, ‘lists of Serbs’ (Radio Mitrovica Sever)

Milica Rakic Andric from New Social Initiative and Veroljub Petronic from Human Center Mitrovica in an interview with Radio Mitrovica Sever spoke about latest crisis in northern Kosovo, visits of international envoys Miroslav Lajcak and Gabriel Escobar, ‘lists of Serbs’ some Kosovo top officials mention in the public, accusing persons by full names and surnames for “participation and organisation of violent protests in the north” and possible outcome of the current situation.

Speaking of the lists for arrests and what impact it has on the people on the ground, Petronic opined that “people's fear is justified”, adding that according to the information they have a certain number of Serbs left Kosovo due to the fear of arrests.

“The lists that appeared lately, (including) 80 or 90 persons are very questionable, it is necessary to prove the participation of those persons in a certain place at a certain time, that these are the very persons who, for example, participated in the "violation of Kosovo constitutional order"”, he said.

Andric Rakic said NGOs representatives conveyed in a meeting with Lajcak and Escobar that it is very alarming, that there is panic in the community and that it has crossed some limits.

“This is no longer just a collective accusation of the whole community, but you had a situation where Kosovo Prime Minister read the names in the assembly, places himself in a role of a judge, and we told them this means that this process will have to end with the Amnesty Law, as was the case in 2013. Specifically, for those acts related to the violation of the constitutional order, there are several categories, but it really seems that without it, it will not be possible to ensure a peaceful sleep for the majority of people who either found themselves there, or lived nearby various scenes of protests or conflict with the police”, she said.

She also opined some guarantees will have to be given that people will not be prosecuted because they were at the protests.

"Because when you have a government that is so eager to prosecute people, it doesn't matter what the evidence is, we could see that in the case of the two arrested fellow citizens on Monday (May, 29 Rados Petrovic and Dusan Obrenovic), in the days after the incident, it turned out that several media outlets had footage showing that they were taken out from the mass before the start of the incident and cannot be held responsible for the attack on KFOR soldiers, but here they are again in custody”, she added.

When it comes to further development of the situation Petronic believes mayors will resign during the summer, everything will be "dragged" until September, and that the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina will continue.

Andric Rakic expects the situation to become even more complicated, because she expects that Kosovo Prime Minister will not fulfil the first condition, which is withdrawal of special police.

“(…) We are talking about a man whose mayor is for eight days in the Leposavic municipality. For me, that is ideologically strong behaviour and I really don't see that a person who won't allow the mayor to leave the building, orders police to do so. And then the international community will be on the move, and will have to decide whether to put more pressure on Serbia, or order withdrawal of police”.

Vucic thanks India for supporting Serbia's territorial integrity (Tanjug)

After a meeting with Indian President Draupadi Murmu at the Palace of Serbia in Belgrade, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic thanked India for supporting the territorial integrity of Serbia and respecting international law and the UN Charter, Tanjug news agency reports.

"It is a huge honour for me to have the opportunity and the privilege to welcome you in Belgrade. Since 1972, or after more than half a century, this is the first visit of this kind and I am especially happy to be able to be your host", Vucic told Murmu at a joint press conference, noting that Serbia's close ties with India dated back to the era of the Non-Aligned Movement.

He noted that diplomatic ties with India had been established in 1948 and that Serbia was proud of the traditional friendship.

"Thank you for supporting the territorial integrity of Serbia and respecting the norms of international public law and the UN Charter. Serbia will treat India in the same way and we believe that, in every institution in the world, there is space for the closest cooperation between us that no one can disrupt", Vucic noted.

President Murmu delighted to visit Serbia on her first trip to Europe (Tanjug, media)

Indian President Draupadi Murmu said on Thursday in Belgrade she was delighted Serbia was the first European country she had visited since taking office in July 2022.

She was speaking at a joint press conference with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic.

Thanking Vucic and Serbia for the hospitality, Murmu noted that Vucic's 2017 visit to India had laid the groundwork for an expansion of a bilateral partnership between the two countries. She said India's relations with Serbia were based on mutual trust and that her country remained committed to inject more energy into vital ambitions.

Murmu added that she had had a constructive and productive meeting with Vucic about all important aspects of the bilateral relations as well as global and regional affairs. She said the two sides were determined to build the relations further and work on an expansion of technology and on strengthening ties between people.

She noted that an agreement had been made to strengthen cooperation in the UN and other multilateral forums.

Vucic: There will be no transitional gov't as long as I am president (Tanjug, media)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Wednesday evening there would be no transitional government as long as he was president as that would mean the country was being run by a tycoon and centres of power abroad.

In a public address, Vucic said that, as president, he would wait for all those he had invited to dialogue to come to discussions.

"I will tell them the only way for the changes they want so much to happen is to participate in elections, win the majority support of the people and then receive the mandate from the president to form a new government", he said.

He also said early parliamentary elections in Serbia were now only a matter of time.

Opposition reacts to Vucic, Brnabic public address (N1)

Opposition MPs told N1 that Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic exceeded his constitutional powers on live TV once again but added that this was nothing new or unexpected.

Zoran Lutovac, leader of the Democratic Party (DS) which was once the biggest and most influential opposition party, said that Vucic’s media conference with Prime Minister Ana Brnabic was “an opportunity to watch violations of the constitution live”. Lutovac said that the media conference would result in an expansion of the weekly protests and was the result of panic in the authorities.

“Everything that was said is the consequence of panic and fear and Vucic wants to anaesthetise the public and turn attention away from the protests. He offered elections even though no one asked for them because he doesn’t like a parliament that includes people who criticise him. He needs to portray himself as the only existing institution”, Lutovac said.

International

Turkey Likely to Take Command of NATO-led Force in Kosovo (Bloomberg)

Turkey is expected to assume command of the NATO-led force in Kosovo in a planned rotation this fall, in the wake of the worst clashes in the region in a decade, according to Turkish officials familiar with the issue.

Turkey, which has the second largest army within the North Atlantic Treaty Organization after the US, will likely take over leadership of the mission known as KFOR from Italy in October, the officials said, asking not to be identified due to the sensitivity of the information. The handover was planned before the latest flare-up of violence and the choice of Turkey has not yet been finalized.