Prishtina, 20 November, 2023
The third meeting in a row between the Prime Minister of the Republic of Kosovo, Albin Kurti and the Secretary General of NATO, Jens Stoltenberg, took place today in the building of the Government of the Republic of Kosovo, a little more than a year after the meeting they had at the Headquarters of NATO in Brussels.
The historical role of NATO in Kosovo and the continuous contribution of the KFOR mission to security and peace in the country, along with recent developments in the country and the importance of cooperation and coordination between institutions, were the main topics of today’s discussion.
Prime Minister Kurti, who was accompanied by the First Deputy Prime Minister, Besnik Bislimi, the Minister of Internal Affairs, Xhelal Sveçla and the Minister for Communities and Returns, Nenad Rashiq, first expressed the thanks and gratitude of the people and the Government of Kosovo for the valuable contribution of NATO in Kosovo.
He informed Secretary Stoltenberg of governance, tangible results, and the attention paid to investment in defense, education, health and agriculture.
Speaking about the security situation, especially in relation to the permanent danger that Serbia presents to him, he singled out the presence of 48 Serbian forward operational bases around the border with Kosovo and the anti-aircraft system in the vicinity of this border.
On this occasion, the Prime Minister listed the military systems of Serbia, which include the modernized missile system “FK-3” and “Pancir S1” as well as other missile systems “Neva M1T” and “Kub M2 (SM)” of the 250th Army Brigade. Serbian. He said that the FK-3 system is a Chinese missile system, with which in 2022, Serbia became the first country in Europe to operate with Chinese weapons, including CH-92 combat drones. He added that the Armed Forces of Serbia have also created a special unit for the surveillance of drones which as a unit operates within the 63rd Parachute Brigade of the Serbian army.
Prime Minister Kurti asked Secretary General Stoltenberg for close cooperation with NATO for peace and security.
He said that while last year was characterized by barricades erected by criminal groups that aimed to oppose law and order (July and December 2022), this year was a year of violent attacks on law and order institutions, local and international, as was the case on May 26 and 29, then the kidnapping of Kosovo policemen on June 14, culminating in the aggression of September 24 that violated state sovereignty, territorial integrity and national security.
In relation to the latter, Prime Minister Kurti shared with the Secretary of NATO, Stoltenberg the findings from the investigation process of the local security institutions on the case of the terrorist and paramilitary attack of September 24 in Banjska, where the Kosovo Police sergeant lost his life , the hero of Kosovo, Afrim Bunjaku, but also on the case of the kidnapping of three Kosovo policemen within the territory of the Republic of Kosovo, on June 14, which confirm the direct involvement of the state of Serbia. The Prime Minister said that these two cases prove the need to increase security, especially along the border between Kosovo and Serbia, as he called on the Secretary that NATO also come out as soon as possible with the conclusions of its independent investigations into the case of the criminal kidnapping of three police officers of Kosovo and the terrorist attack in Banjska of Zveçan.
The meeting also discussed the relations between Kosovo and Serbia, the dialogue process mediated by the European Union and the October 26 meeting with European leaders in Brussels. The Prime Minister informed the Secretary about the progress of that meeting, and the position of the Government of the Republic of Kosovo against the European-American plan for the way forward towards full and unconditional implementation of the Basic Agreement. On this occasion, Prime Minister Kurti once again underlined the importance of Kosovo’s membership in the NATO Partnership for Peace Program, as well as proposed the opening of a Kosovo diplomatic office in NATO.
Thanking for the hospitality, Secretary Stoltenberg expressed his gratitude for the coordination of the security institutions with KFOR, as well as for the support that the Government and the Republic of Kosovo have given to Ukraine in the face of the military aggression of the Russian Federation, as the September 24 attack in Banjska called it terrible and unacceptable.
Last modified: November 21, 2023