The chairman of the Democratic Party, Lulzim Basha, delivered his speech this Thursday at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.<\/p>\n
He said that Albania strongly condemns the attacks on Israel and stands by its people in this critical time.<\/p>\n
Basha also spoke harshly about the terrorist attack in Kosovo on September 24. According to him, that attack could not have happened without the involvement of the state authorities there.<\/p>\n
Full statement of Lulzim Basha:<\/strong><\/p>\n Mr. President,<\/p>\n Members of the Assembly,<\/p>\n In the wake of the shocking terrorist attacks of last Saturday in Israel, one can clearly gage how forces hostile to the European way of life, are utilizing an array of methods and of terrorist groups to stir conflict and sow instability.<\/p>\n As we speak, all eyes and ears are in Israel, where the savage acts of terror by Hamas have caused numerous innocent victims. My thoughts and prayers are with the innocent victims and their families, wishing a quick recovery for the injured. Albania harshly condemns the terrorist attacks and we stand by the people and the state of Israel in this critical time for their nation and for the security and stability of the wider region.<\/p>\n In the heart of Europe, a similar terrorist attack was also planned.<\/p>\n The terrorist attack of September 24 in Kosovo has once again sounded the alarm bell, not just for the fragile peace in the Western Balkans but indeed for the architecture of security in Europe.<\/p>\n What happened in Kosovo is not an isolated incident. Terrorists have been trained in military basis in Serbia, weapons have been smuggled into Kosovo for months, with the aim of provoking a scenario similar to that of Crimea in 2014.<\/p>\n There is no question that nothing of this gravity could happen without the\u00a0 implication of state authorities in Serbia. Nor is this the only operation to reshape borders that Serbia is currently involved in.<\/p>\n Stimulating and motivating the seccesion of Republika Srpska, trying to overcome the political infrastructrure of Montenegro, and the use of armed paramilitary structures in Kosovo to orchestrate the violent take over of part of the territory of an independent state, all fit in the Serb state strategy to dictate on the ground a new reality, which the leaders of Belgrade have begun to publicly label as the Serbian Realm.<\/p>\n It is an attempt to force border changes through de facto partitions and land grabs. The ultimate outcome would upend the Euro-Atlantic security architecture of Southeast Europe and deal a potentially lethal blow to peace and\u00a0 stability in Europe.<\/p>\n Neither Serbia nor the Serbs would be the ultimate benefactors. Far from that, they would suffer terrible and humiliating losses for being played as pawns in a game devised and orchestrated by Moscow with one clear strategy: Destabilize and plunge the Western Balkans into chaos – undermine NATO’s Southeastern wing and open a wide new front in the heart of the Alliance against Russia’s illegal war of occupation in Ukraine.<\/p>\n My call is for the EU and NATO members not to underestimate or procrastinate addressing this serious threat. An international investigation of what happened on September 24 is needed followed by advanced measures against Serbia. EU member states cannot act as if nothing has happened and continue to feed, with European taxpayers’ money, a state machinery bent on causing instability for the region and entire Europe.<\/p>\n Kosovo has on the other side proven that its security institutions are in line with NATO standards, capable to safeguard the life, the safety and the freedom of its citizens.<\/p>\n The four remaining NATO countries must recognize Kosovo, as a contribution to peace in Europe and pave the way for its inclusion in the Partnership for Peace and full NATO membership for Kosovo.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The chairman of the Democratic Party, Lulzim Basha, delivered his speech this Thursday at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. He said that Albania strongly condemns the attacks on Israel and stands by its people in this critical time. Basha also spoke harshly about the terrorist attack in Kosovo on September 24. According […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":23,"featured_media":61357,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[153,1803],"tags":[2436,4626,4196,2993,300,150,243,151,791,861,1756],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n