Hasani: Serbia should stop sending the army near the border with Kosovo, it's a funny game

Hasani, who is on his first official visit to Kosovo, also spoke about the attack on the Kosovo police in Banjska in the north of Kosovo on September 24 last year. During the attack by an armed group of Serbs, one policeman was killed, and then three Serb attackers were killed in the exchange of fire

12791 views 7 comment(s)
Hasani and Gervala, Photo: Screenshot/Youtube
Hasani and Gervala, Photo: Screenshot/Youtube
Disclaimer: The translations are mostly done through AI translator and might not be 100% accurate.

Albanian Foreign Minister Iglji Hasani called on Serbia to stop sending troops near the border with Kosovo, saying it was a "ridiculous game".

Hasani, during a joint media conference in Pristina with his Kosovo colleague Donika Gervala), said that the security of Kosovo is guaranteed by NATO.

"We appeal to all actors and factors living in the 21st century not to send the army to the border anymore. No one needs this game anymore, which is ridiculous because it is clear to everyone that the biggest guarantee for the integrity and sovereignty of Kosovo is NATO," he said. Hasani.

During 2023, Serbia raised its combat readiness on several occasions around the border with Kosovo due to increased tensions in the north of Kosovo.

Then the United States also called for the withdrawal of the army.

Hasani, who is on his first official visit to Kosovo, also spoke about the attack on the Kosovo police in Banjska in the north of Kosovo on September 24 last year. During the attack by an armed group of Serbs, one policeman was killed, and then three Serb attackers were killed in the exchange of fire.

Responsibility for the attack was claimed by Milan Radoičić, the former vice-president of the Serbian List, the largest party of Serbs in Kosovo.

Kosovo accused Serbia of this attack, but Belgrade denied any involvement.

The Albanian head of diplomacy stated that those responsible for the attack must be held accountable in order to "prevent an escalation with irreversible consequences".

Minister Gervala called on the international community to sanction Serbia.

She pointed out that the "lack of punishment" carries with it the risk of repeating the same attack.

Hasani and Gervala also spoke about the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia, which is mediated by the European Union.

Hasani said that on October 26 in Brussels, Kosovo Prime Minister Aljbin Kurti agreed "without conditions" to sign the Agreement on Normalization of Relations.

The Albanian head of diplomacy also said that all agreements were reached within the dialogue in Brussels.

"We call on our international partners to preserve this momentum and push forward to the final step," Hasani said.

On October 26, Kurti and Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić met separately with representatives of the EU, France, Germany and Italy.

The Prime Minister of Kosovo then stated that at this meeting he accepted the proposal for the formation of the Union of Municipalities with a Serbian majority and that he was ready to sign an agreement for the normalization of relations, but that Vučić opposed it.

Gervala stated that the ball was transferred to EU's court.

"... the ball has been passed to the EU and it is the mediators' turn to use a constructive approach to bring Serbia to the table to sign the agreements that were concluded last year," said Gervala.

The agreement on the normalization of relations was accepted by the two sides at the proposal of the EU in February last year, while the Annex for its implementation was agreed in March.

However, Vučić refused to sign it, but the EU stated that it is still legally binding for both parties.

Bonus video: