Secretary General of NATO, Jens Stoltenberg, said on Thursday that for the North-Atlantic alliance it is essential to avoid further de-escalation of the situation in the north of Kosovo.<\/p>\n
“I call on all parties to avoid inciting rhetoric and to refrain, in line with their commitments”.<\/p>\n
He made these statements in a press conference together with the president of Kosovo, Vjosa Osmani.<\/p>\n
Stoltenberg has said that the violence against the members of the NATO mission in Kosovo, KFOR, in the north of Kosovo, months ago, was unacceptable.<\/p>\n
According to him, the stability of the region depends on all parties.<\/p>\n
He has welcomed the decision of the Kosovo authorities to reduce the police presence in the north and the plans to hold new elections in that part of the country.<\/p>\n
“In accordance with the commitments of Pristina in 2013, any engagement of Kosovo’s security forces in the north requires negotiation with KFOR. We expect consultations for every action of the Kosovo police forces, which may have an impact on security”.<\/p>\n
After his statement about the 2013 pledges, Stoltenberg was asked if a new criterion is now being introduced for Kosovo, since until now the pledge has only applied to Kosovo’s security forces, and not to the police forces.<\/p>\n
“It is not a new criterion. This attitude is the basis of the mission for a long time. Any landing of special forces requires the approval of KFOR and there is a need for close consultation between the authorities of Pristina and KFOR for any engagement that may affect our position and security in Kosovo”.<\/p>\n
Kosovo President Osmani said that Kosovo, like NATO, has the same goal, which is peace and stability and security for all people in the region.<\/p>\n
Commenting on Stoltenberg’s statement about the 2013 statement, she said that the document only applies to Kosovo’s security forces.<\/p>\n
“Kosovo Police acted and exercised its constitutional mandate in the entire territory of Kosovo”.<\/p>\n
Call for justice after violence in the north<\/strong><\/p>\n During the conference, Stoltenberg mentioned that after the recent unrest in the north, NATO has increased its presence in Kosovo.<\/p>\n “KFOR continues to monitor the situation closely and we are ready to act if required, to fulfill the mandate of the United Nations, to guarantee a safe environment and freedom of movement for all communities in Kosovo”.<\/p>\n Asked if NATO is turning a blind eye to Serbia, which has not imposed sanctions on Russia for the war in Ukraine, while Kosovo is in line with the demands of the alliance, Stoltenberg said that there is no such thing.<\/p>\n “No, it’s not like that. We made it very clear with our messages in Belgrade, and I emphasized this in my meeting with [Serbian President, Aleksandar Vu\u010di\u0107.]”<\/p>\n Even Osmani condemned the violence against KFOR officials in the north, saying that if those responsible for these events are not punished, “there is a risk that the perpetrators will see this as our common weakness”, adding that they may those violent acts.<\/p>\n According to her, the events of May 29 constitute an “attack on NATO”, and she said that Kosovo is ready to cooperate so that the perpetrators are brought to justice.<\/p>\n “We will continue to work together, because May 29 has shown us all that those who are against Kosovo are also against NATO. The attack on KFOR soldiers has shown that these destructive forces want to attack the system based on values, on which we and NATO are built.”<\/p>\n Call for balance in dialogue<\/strong><\/p>\n President of Kosovo, Vjosa Osmani, has said that Kosovo and the Balkan region are in danger of becoming points of riots due to the influence of the Russians and its destabilizing agendas.<\/p>\n “Kosovo is experiencing constant interference from outside and constant obstruction of its legitimate authority and sovereignty in the northern part of our country. This has in many cases constituted aggression, as defined in international law and practice. Let me be clear: the northern part has been and will continue to be an integral part of the Republic of Kosovo”.<\/p>\n Asked about the new round of the High-Level dialogue between the prime minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, and the Serbian president, Aleksandar Vu\u010di\u0107, on September 14, Osmani said that she expects full equality in this process.<\/p>\n “Kosovo has always been a constructive party. The only constructive party in that process. Unfortunately, the list of agreements not implemented by Serbia is very long, but I don’t want to go through it, but I have to say that our hopes are that there will be a balanced approach from the EU mediators, as a prerequisite for success in process. There have been times when we have not seen this balance and I would like to call on all partners to ensure this kind of balance, to ensure a principle of full equality, if we want to see sustainable results and results really contribute to stability in the region”.<\/p>\n She has said that the focus should now be on a ranking plan for the implementation of the agreements reached in Brussels and Ohrid.<\/p>\n “There is no one article that is more important than the other. We are committed to fulfill our part of the obligations, but Serbia has also taken concrete commitments, among which is not to hinder Kosovo’s membership in international organizations, but which has been violated”.<\/p>\n Kosovo and Serbia have reached agreement on the normalization of relations in February in Brussels and then on the annex to the implementation of the agreement, in March in Ohrid.<\/p>\n The September 14 meeting is the first that can be held between Kurti and Vu\u010di\u0107 since the increase in tensions in the north, as early as the end of May.\/REL<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Secretary General of NATO, Jens Stoltenberg, said on Thursday that for the North-Atlantic alliance it is essential to avoid further de-escalation of the situation in the north of Kosovo. “I call on all parties to avoid inciting rhetoric and to refrain, in line with their commitments”. He made these statements in a press conference together […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":23,"featured_media":59613,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[163,1803],"tags":[4128,150,243,151,791,4129,4127,2780],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n