Skopje, 16 June 2023 (MIA) - We are at this problematic time, but with the basic treaty that we have agreed on with Serbia for normalization of relations centered on mutual de facto recognition, I'm still optimistic that we can both normalize relations and de-escalate the situation on the ground, Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti told the Prespa Forum Dialogue in Struga on Friday. 

As regards the situation in the north of Kosovo with the four municipalities with majority Serb population, Kurti said early elections are needed.

"I'm giving this generous offer so four mayors in the north will not have to finish their two-year mandate until 2025, much earlier we can have early elections but we have to prepare situation on the ground, and that means rule of law. I'm not going to surrender the democratic republic to fascist militia, to violent extremists and to criminal gangs," Kurti said. 

He added that the buildings in the four northern municipalities belong to the Republic of Kosovo. 

"I have no intention to control the Serbian the Serbian community, or municipalities for that matter, but with handgrenades, with bullets and shockbombs you cannot take the office of the mayor," said the Kosovo PM.

To Kurti, all republics of former Yugoslavia declared independence, and the independence was independence from Belgrade.

"But what we need now is Serbia to declare independence from Kosovo, from North Macedonia, Montenegro, Croatia, and of course from Bosnia and Herzegovina, which Serbia does recognize as de jure but not de facto," said Kurti. 

Regarding the three Kosovo policemen arrested in Serbia, he reiterated that they were "abducted inside the territory of Kosovo".

"I want to thank the U.S. State Department for asking an immediate release of the three Kosovo policemen unconditionally. And I think this is the way forward. First we need these policemen to come back, but at the same time we need the international community to firmly and clearly condemn Serbia's aggression to Kosovo, because with the abduction of our three policemen Serbia also violated Article 4 of the 1999 Kumanovo military technical agreement, and I think NATO should condemn violation of Kumanovo agreement by Serbia," said Kurti. 

According to him, for peace and security in the Balkans it is very important to terminate "this forward operation basis status of the Serbian army around the border of Kosovo and at the same time to condemn this aggression and to consider it as a violation of the Kumanovo agreement". 

The Kosovo police said Wednesday that three of its members were kidnapped by masked men from Serbia, on one of the roads in northern Kosovo, on the interstate border. Belgrade, on the other hand, claims that the Kosovo police officers were arrested on Serbian territory, after penetrating deep into central Serbia, and Serbian media also published photos of the arrest of uniformed persons who are allegedly Kosovo policemen.

The NATO-led KFOR mission said Friday it "was not in the area when three Kosovo Police officers were arrested by the Serbian Police" and called on Kosovo and Serbia to immediately reduce tensions and refrain from unilateral actions. 

As regards regional cooperation, Kurti said there was no better platform for regional cooperation than the Berlin Process. 

"To me, the Berlin Process is regional cooperation. There is no better platform for regional cooperation. I don't support regional initiatives without European values and without European mechanisms. The Berlin Process has both. I look forward to build up on the Berlin Process and what I would like to see is the Berlin Process becoming something like CEFTA," Kurti said. 

He added he believes that the EU needs to enlarge, and it should go hand in hand with internal consolidation within the Union. 

Photo: MIA