Prishtina, 15 June, 2023
Prime Minister of the Republic of Kosovo, Albin Kurti:
Dear journalists present,
Dear citizens,
Good morning and thank you for responding to our invitation to this press conference.
We have just finished the Meeting of the Security Council of Kosovo, which was held taking as its theme the aggressive action of Serbia yesterday, which kidnapped three officials of the Kosovo Police within the territory of our Republic.
With the members of the Security Council, we discussed the general security situation, with emphasis on the four municipalities in the north of the country and the border zone with Serbia. Security institutions gave their assessments, shared the latest data and also proposed recommendations.
Yesterday’s case was aggression against our democratic state, revenge against the Kosovo Police who are fighting crime and intent for escalation and destabilization at a time when we have already proposed the 5-point plan for de-escalation, i.e. de-escalation and normalization.
For these reasons, our institutions of order and security have increased the level of readiness.
For security reasons, as an immediate and necessary step, the border controls with Serbia have been tightened, limiting circulation and increasing the controls of vehicles coming from Serbia, especially transport ones.
Yesterday’s violation of the border by Serbia forces us to increase border controls, which depending on the ongoing analyzes and assessments of the security institutions may also include traffic stops in cases where it is estimated that they may pose a risk or security cannot be guaranteed.
The next actions will be taken based on the recommendations of the relevant institutions.
Our goal is safety and safety starts at the borders.
We once again demand the immediate release of the three abducted police officers and call on international factors to condemn this act of aggression by Serbia and put pressure on official Belgrade.
Serbia has never changed in goals, motives and appetites. It’s not like she’s surprising us with her behavior. What is strange is the silence and tolerance of international factors towards the actions of Serbia, which constantly seeks pretexts for escalation and destabilization. And when there is none, then it is ready and certainly capable of creating them. The kidnapping of three Kosovo Policemen is the clearest and freshest proof of this.
Thank you, I am now passing the floor to the Minister of Internal Affairs of the Government of the Republic of Kosovo, Mr. Xhelal Sveçla.
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Minister of Internal Affairs, Xhelal Sveçla:
Dear Prime Minister,
Dear representatives of the media,
Dear citizens,
Legality and constitutionality in a state are normal principles and values of democracy. As a state with democratic aspirations and orientations, we are against its antitheses and always fully committed to maintaining order and a safe environment for all citizens without any distinction. In recent weeks, the Republic of Kosovo has faced attempts to destabilize the country and escalate the situation in our north. They have these attempts, addresses and orders in Belgrade, at our neighbor who is unfortunately hostile towards us, and who repeats such an approach constantly and continuously.
What we have seen and witnessed in recent weeks are the masked criminal groups directed and orchestrated from Belgrade, who shamelessly attacked not only the Kosovo Police, but also KFOR, the media and our citizens. They were attacked with firearms, stun grenades, Molotov cocktails and other powerful tools. So, although for two years the Police and all of us have been dealing with attacks and criminal acts of gangs in the north, the last 3 weeks have been more active and of course this comes as a revolt against our actions in order to establish order and legality in that area.
As a result of these attacks, a significant number of KFOR and Kosovo Police soldiers were injured. Evidence that shows the extent of severe violence and the source of these criminal acts. The protests were not of citizens, but led by notorious criminal groups sent by order from Belgrade such as “Rojat e Ures”, “Civil Defense”, “Night Wolves”, “and Severna Brigada”.
The leaders of these groups, who came from Belgrade, are not unknown to our authorities, as their criminal acts over the years are known. One of them, leader of the “Civil Defense”, Milun Milenkovic-Llune, thanks to the excellent work of the Kosovo Police, managed to be arrested. The history of his criminal file shows the illegal activities and attacks undertaken over the years, the list of which is very long and contains attacks and terror against citizens but also law enforcement and international security forces in the past and in the present now.
Angered by the disruption of their plans, our work to maintain law and order in the country and bring these criminals to justice, Belgrade took an unacceptable and reprehensible step by kidnapping three of our police officers. The kidnapping that happened yesterday was carried out according to a plan planned by the Special Anti-terror Unit within the Serbian Gendarmerie (SAJ – Special Anti-Terrorist Unit) and the Special Unit of the Serbian Army “Cobra” in the Bare – Tresave border area (Leposavic).
Yesterday I visited the location where the incident took place, which is located about 1 km inside our border. It is about a road where there was smuggling earlier and that road has been blocked by us. So, the road is divided in the middle, with two consecutive potholes, and it was impossible for the policemen to cross into Serbian territory, as Belgrade’s propaganda says. This is purely a distortion of the events on the ground, to escape their responsibility, actually their plan for kidnapping. In this location, in the background in the territory of the Republic of Kosovo, there were also trees that blocked the road with the aim of possibly blocking the assistance units of the Kosovo Police.
It is clear that this criminal act was done in revenge for the arrest of the criminal Llune. What is happening is the behavior of a criminal Serbia, which for years and decades has been acting the same through their criminal acts, trying to undermine the extent of our sovereignty throughout the territory of the Republic of Kosovo.
For us, and I believe it should be so for the entire democratic world, this is not only unacceptable, but it is an extremely serious incident. This criminal act must be severely condemned by the international factor, because it represents a serious violation and once again shows the true face of Serbia. We urgently call for the release of our police officers and their return to Kosovo, to the ranks of the Kosovo Police and to their families, with whom we sympathize for the injustice done by Belgrade.
I want to reiterate that we will not stop and we will not retreat, in search of justice, constitutionality and legality in the country. We will not stop looking for law and order and a calm and safe environment for all citizens without distinction. We are within our rights and will continue to act according to the law and the principles of democracy. Anyone who breaks the law will face legal consequences. No one is immune to these violations. None of these criminals is more powerful than the state, is not more powerful than the institutions of the Republic of Kosovo, therefore each of them will be brought to justice.
The Republic of Kosovo is sovereign and democratic. Our citizens will not be oppressed and violated, on the contrary, they will be protected. Serbia must be held responsible for its actions.
Thank you.
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Prime Minister of the Republic of Kosovo, Albin Kurti:
So before we answer your questions, here we have a picture of the map, in which you can see how the place where our three policemen were kidnapped is located one kilometer, 300 meters and 670 meters away from the border in the depth of the territory of Kosovo.
So, the kidnapping, the abduction of three Kosovo policemen happened in this place, which is deep in the territory of Kosovo and which is, therefore, 1 kilometer away from the border on one side, which is the northwestern part, then 670 meters away, which falls in the northern part and in the southwestern part 300 meters; 1 kilometer, 670 meters and 300 meters.
At the same time, here we also have the photos of the cut road, in which it is clearly seen that they were not able to pass further as Serbia claims that they wrote in Serbia and were arrested there. So, it is not about an arrest in Serbia, but about a kidnapping in Kosovo, and this road cut here was made to stop these 16 illegal smuggling routes, which were made during the last year, and it is not about any the crossing of the police across the border of Serbia as claimed, not even beyond the cut road, which is located 1 kilometer, 670 meters and 300 meters.
This is also another picture, which shows this cut road and the false claims of Serbia.
KFOR and the Kosovo Police were at the scene, and there were also found traces of foreign boots and shoes in the direction of Serbia, but plastic handcuffs were also found.
So how is it possible that they claim to have been arrested by the police in Serbia, when their plastic ties as handcuffs are in this very place we are talking about, 1 kilometer, 300 meters and 670 meters away from the border with Serbia and inside of the territory of Kosovo.
What continues to amaze me is the fact that even the next day with this truth that we are presenting to you, KFOR does not come out officially.
What is the meaning, since the next day, of an event, which was not in the evening, but in the afternoon, KFOR still does not come out with an official explanation of where this place is. This place is clearly in the Republic of Kosovo and do you know what, even at this moment we are in that country, it is not Serbia, both the vehicle and the food that the policemen ate, everything is deep in the territory of Kosovo.
So, as the Minister of the Interior, Xhelal Sveçla, pointed out, it is about two armed formations of Serbia that have entered the territory of Kosovo and with whom KFOR would have to deal, it is the Special Anti-terrorist Unit, which they call it SAJ and it is the Special Military Unit, which they call “Cobra”. So “SAJ” and “Cobra” are the units, which seem to have carried out surveillance and then kidnapping. There is no question of any arrest. The Kosovo Police made the arrest of this leader of organized crime and smuggling, Milun Milenkovic Lune, while the police themselves experienced the revenge of Serbia for this arrest of theirs, for this fight against organized crime and corruption.
Then we can now answer your questions.
Full conference transcript:
Journalist: Then Prime Minister, with these facts that you have, you said that KFOR has been at the scene of the incident, do they have these facts as well KFOR until they have not yet come out with any announcement, because the former KFOR spokesman in Kosovo Vincenso Grasso has declared that if three Kosovo police officers have been arrested within the Kosovo border, then Resolution 1244 has also been violated.
Prime Minister: All of these also have KFOR, so we share the information with our partners, but their silence does not contribute to de-escalation, investigation, or justice. It makes no sense for an event in Kosovo, which is a relatively small state, for there to be no official statement the next day, and yes, it may even be a violation of Resolution 1244, which I do not doubt, but we represent the Republic of Kosovo, but it is General Commander of KFOR Ristuccia who mentions Resolution 1244 twice for every statement.
So this question, it should be asked to him since he has often mentioned the Resolution 1244 in the KFOR declarations, while we, as institutions of the Republic of Kosovo, consider our Constitution and the law in force as right and our responsibility.
Journalist: We have had a statement from the President of Serbia, Vuçiqi, who said that the same people have been arrested, in fact kidnapped in Serbian territory, but we saw that the path was cut, do we have any information on how they were transferred from that part of the Kosovo Republic territory to the other and do we have information on where the three police officers are while you said that there was no reaction from the Quint states, did you have any talks last night with them if you can tell us and the Minister yesterday you were at the scene of the incident, can you tell us more maybe even about other details, if you can tell us, were the Serbian police in greater numbers than those seen in the photograph, only three people were seen. Thank you.
Prime Minister: I had a phone conversation last night with both the US special envoy Eskobar and the US ambassador to Kosovo Jeff Hovenier, with whom we discussed the security situation and I told them that I expect KFOR to bring me information in the form of an assessment conclusion before the Security Council meeting held this morning at seven o’clock here at the Prime Minister’s office. However, no information, so at the security council meeting today we only went with the information from the Republic of Kosovo which clearly are accurate and true. Serbia claims that they have arrested police officers and it is clear that there is no talk of such a thing, it is an attempt to distort the kidnapping in the territory of the Republic of Kosovo, this is a threat to the territorial integrity of sovereignty is an act of aggression and of course we are in contact with them, I will meet them today during the day and at the same time with Jetish Jashari who is the head of the Kosovo Liaison Office in Belgrade, we are in contact to make visits to the prisons where our officers are held but you have seen that there are also other citizens arrested in Serbia who are also visited by the head of the Kosovo Liaison Office in Belgrade. For these other operational details, the minister is certainly more knowledgeable than I am, but once again, it is about kidnapping these three police officers beyond that illegal cut road and sending them to Serbia. Thank you.
Minister Svecla: Yesterday I was at the scene of the incident, just like some of the media had the chance to go there and witness it through your cameras that it was a kidnapping, that is to explain the Prime Minister, the facts are clear they were deep in the territory of the Republic of Kosovo. Anti-terror units, forensic, state prosecutor are conducting intensive and detailed investigations on all the facts found on the ground as well as information coming through other channels. The evidence is sufficient that there was a well-organized, almost massive operation of these special units, I can freely say that in border areas any state can take such steps against another state, it is not something unreachable, it is not something that unfortunately from Serbia can surprise us but for democratic countries it is absolutely unacceptable, which means we are dealing with two countries with two different situations, so we don’t know where our policemen are being held. Serbia is an undemocratic country and does not strongly worry about the freedom and rights of prisoners, nor about their families, nor about good neighborhood or de-escalation of the current situation. All of this information is being shared continuously with our partners. Even when I was there, there were KFOR members who were also investigating the case. I can say that as far as the field of data is concerned, they agree with us, but we are waiting for their official declaration. Traces show that this was an action of these two special units with a much larger number than what you have seen or than what our police officers have been.
Journalist: How safe is the border area, knowing that there is tension in the north, and you know that we cannot be surprised by such actions of Serbia. How safe is the border area, knowing that what you’re saying is a kilometer that has entered within Kosovo’s territory to enter so organizedly, it is understandable not wanting to judge the three policemen because they could not resist it is normal that for as it is safe it means how much you have done previously to make sure the border area is secure, first and second, such as the health condition do you have information such as the health condition of the policemen do you have contacts in which prisons they are.
Minister Svecla: For the second question, the Prime Minister has already responded regarding the first question, we stated that the readiness of the police is increased, we must be clear that there is an extremely long line that separates the two states, we are doing our utmost with the capacities that we have to ensure that the border line is intact, let us not forget that the responsibility for this border line and according to those declarations is above all KFOR from whom we expect to come out publicly with their stance regarding what has happened but especially after this case the readiness of the police is at a much higher level. I believe they will be ready to respond to any challenge and we are working to minimize these challenges or risks.
Journalist: It was repeatedly mentioned that this kidnapping of the three policemen was done as a revenge for the arrest of the criminal last month. What if a kind of exchange is requested, is it possible to ask another question about Minister Svecla, how do we get these policemen out, do we have any method, do you have any plan, how do we get these policemen out, and is it that easy to get Serbian policemen into the territory of Kosovo and kidnap three Albanian policemen? Can I ask one more question to Prime Minister Kurti, that is, the meeting of two governments was canceled, even Prime Minister Rama mentioned that he has requested a preliminary meeting with you, Mr. Kurti, how do you see this cancellation of the meeting and how do you comment on his statement?
Prime Minister: The three police officers who were abducted were kidnapped by the Serbian special military unit Cobra and the special anti-terrorism unit, they were on a road that was once illegal for precisely the police officers who deal with the prevention and prevention of smuggling while facing them were the specialized units of the Serbian army and gendarmerie, now on the other side we have a Serbian criminal like Llune who did not commit the crime either on May 26th or May 29th but has thick files of legal violations of criminal acts committed in Kosovo. In Kosovo, the law reigns supreme, it is a democratic republic, it is true that the arrest of violence has thrown all criminals into a panic, they could not imagine that someone like Llune would be arrested. They did not believe that this would ever happen and it has happened, it is the great panic of the criminals who have been turned into revenge of Serbia. These two cases cannot be compared and here we have the rule of law, we do not make bargains, we have principles and values. I do not know that Belgrade has asked for any exchange, I don’t understand how you need to say the exchange of course Belgrade could ask for it but please do not represent it, you are citizens of the Republic of Kosovo, you are journalists of this country. You do not need to present a request from Belgrade to the Republic of Kosovo. For which exchange are you speaking of, who has requested it, we are a democratic and free country. Kosovo is the country with the greatest freedom of the media in the region, however when you speak, I would suggest to you that do not speak in the name of the official Belgrade imagining their possible demands, because you do not contribute to either the freedom of the media or the security of our state. It concerns the gathering which has been canceled, I said it on the television of Gjakova Syri Vizion, so it is good to watch Syri Vizion and there you can find the answer on the evening of June 13th.
Minister Svecla: If I may say one thing regarding this kind of idea that is emerging now, is it an exchange between whom? Our citizens who represent the law are committed to protecting the law and a citizen of ours who is a criminal according to a file can be said to be fifteen years old and continuously, and we will have three of our citizens kidnapped and one of our criminals arrested, this is reality.
As far as their release is concerned, the Government of Kosovo is certainly mobilizing to work with the International Community to exert the necessary pressure on Serbia so that these three officials can return to Kosovo, be added to the police ranks, and return to their families as soon as possible.
This is intensive work, it’s a collective work of many actors involved here and I believe it will soon bring results.
Journalist: Prime Minister you said earlier that your goal is security in Kosovo, respectively security in border areas, and from what we saw through the photographs there was only one police patrol with three police officers who are today only kidnapped in Serbia, so as Prime Minister and not minister, in other words, do you want to answer? Did a police patrol visit those deep border areas, knowing the tendencies and relations with Serbia? Have you spoken to the families of the kidnapped, how is their situation? What did you promise? What did they say to you? And Prime Minister, the European Union, and Mister Borell, have they given a secure response and some requests, what now? Is it expected that you enter the dialogue or is this not visible on the horizon?
Could I ask one last question as well, yesterday some Kosovo citizens were arrested at the border crossing in Merdare and some of them had destinations in Germany for their private, professional and business reasons, and based on the testimony we have received or the interviews we have conducted with their families they have told us that the reason for their arrest according to a Serbian police officer was simply because you are Albanian, implying, therefore, a connection to what happened in the north? Thank you!
Prime Minister: It might be difficult for us to answer because if it was only one question it would become a questionnaire and we didn’t take notes, because to be honest we gave the microphone for one or two questions not for 4-5, and there is no need to extend so much, since it is not an interview it is a press conference but I heard you attentively. Approximately 17% of the territory of the Republic of Kosovo north of the Iber River is a very large area, with hundreds of kilometers of mountain borders. It is not simply a matter of this, so taking into account the capacities that Kosovo has today, it is not possible to place units, patrols and police officers every 50 meters along this long border.
Does she not mean that, please don’t interrupt me with much patience I’m listening, are you taking part yes, can I finish my word?
It is not possible to guard the border in the way you suggest, we will add police officers but that part of the territory is so mountainous and the border line so long that there will never be enough police officers of Kosovo to guard the entire border, on the other hand we know that the army guards the border in that part of the country, the army being KFOR.
For ten years, former Prime Minister Thaçi had sent an unilateral commitment to former NATO Secretary General Rasmussen, telling him that Kosovo Security Forces will not cross the Iber River, and that since 2013 there is no army in northern Kosovo due to this commitment to NATO.
Initially, NATO, or rather KFOR, is the army of Kosovo in the north of Kosovo and guarding the border, we will do our utmost with our Police, but to be fully successful there needs to be the respective army or KFOR, so I encourage you to ask them this question.
Minister Svecla: We have much more patrols than that, we will also have mobile patrols and police officers who cover other points, as the Prime Minister emphasized, it is impossible to have a police patrol every 50, 100 meters in that difficult terrain.
These have been members of the unit, the green vests as it is called within the Kosovo Police means regular police who monitor the green line between two border crossing points. They were not members of the Quick Border Intervention, nor were they members of any special unit of the Kosovo Police.
It is not surprising when a state like Serbia has aggressive intentions that at one point or another it has the possibility to hurt, just like we do, but we are a democratic state here, that’s the difference, so you should look to Serbia, not to the three policemen who were just doing their job there or to the Police of Kosovo with the capacities it has.
Generally, we are becoming more professional, more powerful, and the Kosovo Police is provided with more and more equipment, logistics, knowledge, and cooperation with our partners every day, however we cannot say that this is due to Kosovo, it is because of Serbia’s aggressive policies towards our citizens. The institutions of Serbia should be asked why they are arresting the citizens of Kosovo, except because they are Albanians who are arresting them, they should be asked the question, not us, there are many, many, many citizens of the Republic of Kosovo who use Serbia as a bridge to Europe, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has appealed to the citizens to be careful, meaning anyone who may have a case for a claim from the institutions of Serbia, should pay extra attention and maybe find an alternative way.
Regarding their state as the Prime Minister said, it is the Foreign Minister through the Liaison Office which is inquiring about both their health and whereabouts.
As far as the families are concerned, it is more or less a day to know what happened. The Police Management has contacted the families and is in constant contact. Throughout the day we will contact the relatives to express solidarity normally with them, and also to see any eventual needs.
Journalist: Prime Minister, this lack of response from QUINT, the European Union, but also this lack of information from KFOR. Do you consider that it is due to the irritation of recent reports and in the letter that Borrell sent to you yesterday, he said that there was no prior consultation between the Government of Kosovo, EULEX and KFOR about taking action in the north for the arrest of one of the leaders of the parallel structure, he said, there was no coordination. Will coordination also be done in the future or what will be the government’s stance regarding and if there are such requests that even for actions related to the rule of law a prior approval is required either from EULEX or the KFOR mission? One last question since we didn’t have an answer, how do you comment on Borelli’s proposal, will there be any other additional proposals from you or how will the situation go forward in regards to the tension in the north? Thank you!
Prime Minister: We are bound by the Constitution and Law, and we have both responsibility and obligation, we don’t want to take away anyone’s rights, but in a Democratic Republic we must arrest a suspected criminal. There is no point in having a higher instance. We are not a monarchy, we are not a feudal country. We are a democratic republic in the 21st century.
I do not know when a criminal is arrested because this is a matter of the investigative police, the unit that makes the arrest, and the state prosecutor. So there are arrests which I see exactly at the same time as you because we are a democratic republic. The arrest of Mile Milenkoviq, also, has been like this. At the same time when you found out, I also found out. I publicly expressed my support for fighting organized crime and corruption. That`s what I do. However, operational actions when someone needs to be arrested are not my job, I don’t believe they are for any European Union official either. Enforcing the law in Kosovo with police operational actions is a matter of the Kosovo Police. The Kosovo Police have conducted a number of trainings in Western democratic countries and have learned there that police operations should not be politicized. They have to abide by the law and the constitution, their procedures, so I cannot make any kind of intervention against the constitutionality and legality, and the rule of law in the north of Kosovo cannot be special compared to the rest of Kosovo. The police of the Republic fight organized crime, they enforce the law both in the north and the south. There is no sense that, for the implementation of the rule of law, there should be coordination, warning, whatever special behavior and actions before the law takes place as this makes it rule by law. We are for the rule of law, not for ruling with the law, above the law. We don’t want to go above the law.
Law is above all of us and only in this way I am Prime Minister and Mr. Sveçla is Minister. There is no other option. We are in these high governmental positions because Kosovo is a democratic republic, whereas I have expressed my willingness for dialogue. I don’t know what else to say. Let’s schedule a meeting, I’m ready, in Kosovo we implement laws and the Constitution. I listen to the considerations of others with attention and I cannot become a law breaker of the Constitution in Kosovo. I am ready for dialogue, dedicated yet in Kosovo law and constitution because without this law and constitution neither I would be able to talk, think and act from this state position.
You have heard and read the five points that I sent to Mr. Borrel. For our strong commitment to legality and constitutionality in Kosovo it means criminals in prison facing justice, or in Serbia from which some of them have come from. Only when this happens, when we have rule of law that removes these violent riots, these extremists and criminal groups, gradually and proportionally, we will be able to reduce our police presence in these buildings. In place of Lulzim Hetimi, everything was ready for Aleksandar Jablanović. We have no fault why Belgrade is threatening or making offers which we may not comprehend and in this way two days before the elections Jablanovic exits the campaign and now we empty ourselves upon Lulzim Hetemi, the brother of the martyr Fatime Hetemi. We cannot do this. Problem is that Aleksandar Jablanović exited the campaign.
All internationals, I suggest to you to take it as it happened that Alexander Jablanovic withdrew from the campaign two days before the elections. We were sure he would have been the winner, so we were ready to accept him as the mayor. If Aleksandar Jablanović were the mayor of the municipality, I would defend him from the attacks of this fascist militia there, these violent extremists with whom I never want to equate the Serbian citizens. The Serbian community in the north and everywhere else never equates itself with these violent exponents. Even they are in trouble with them. They are in more trouble than we are with them because they are even closer. I will never equalize this.
Reason why I read the names of the thirty-three criminals in the Assembly of the Republic, only six of which are in prison, while twenty-seven continue to be free is precisely to show that crime has special names and surnames. It does not have the name of a community, but individual names and surnames which I read at the assembly session on June 2. I am making the clear distinction here and now about the threats and offers of Belgrade that took Aleksandar Jablanović out of the race, empty all the pressure on Lulzim Hetemi is unfair. Can I be a prime minister in a democratic republic if I am not fair? It would be unfair and don’t forget that the greatest violence has not been done in Leposavić. In Zveçan there was no mayor. On Tuesday, May 29th, there was no mayor at the municipal assembly building in Zveçan. That great violence has nothing to do with the mayor. From the three municipalities in the north, Leposavić, Zvečan and Zubin Potok, two municipalities do not have a mayor. Although they cannot be happy that the mayor is not there, everyone is taking up hatred against Lulzim Hetemi which I have not even thought would become mayor. But he is there today as a result of the democratic process of the elections, although with a low turnout, but accepted both as a process and as a result by international factors, and also their oath.
On 17th of March, a day before we go to Ohrid for the implementation annex, we international factors have promised that if the implementation annex is made in Ohrid, we guarantee that the Serbian List takes part in the elections. I have been ready for the Serbian List to participate in elections, despite what their politicians have said and done to our Republic. I have been ready, and do you know what happens? The registration deadline is extended for five days, from March 17th to March 22nd. If they want to participate, why not. They have passed the deadline, but let’s extend the deadline. We are making the implementation annex in Ohrid on 18 March, 19 March, 20 March, 21 March, 22 March, Serb List does not apply for registration. What are we to do now? I cannot take the Serbian List by force to compete in elections. International factors have promised us that they secure this, so we have extended the deadline and an implementation addendum was made. Finally, we said and we have a Serbian candidate in Leposavić, Aleksandar Jablanović is winning. Two days before the elections, he withdraws his entire arsenal against Lulzim Hetim, this is unfair while I should be a fair prime minister.
Journalist: Prime Minister initially you mentioned in having a tighter control at the border. Does the government have a decision to stop vehicles or goods from Serbia, since there has been some information like that in the media?
Prime Minister: Passages through the border crossings with Serbia are not economic-trade measures but security measures. The situation is not at all usual and it is clear to us that the aggression is coming from Serbia. Sometimes on illegal roads it is possible even at border crossings, so as a security measure we have taken the decision for limited movement and increased control until another decision.
Thank you very much and goodbye.
Last modified: June 21, 2023