‘It is essential to avoid further escalation’ in Kosovo – NATO chief Stoltenberg after meeting with President Osmani

« NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg stated that for the North Atlantic Alliance it is essential to ‘avoid further escalation’ in the north of Kosovo, during a joint press conference with Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani-Sadriu in Brussels on Thursday.
« I welcome recent steps taken by Pristina to lower tensions, including reducing the number of special police in the north, and plans to facilitate new municipal elections but it is essential to avoid further escalation, » said Stoltenberg after meeting with Kosovo’s President Osmani-Sadriu at the NATO headquarters.
« So I urge all parties to avoid inflammatory rhetoric and to act with restraint and in line with their commitments. NATO strongly supports the EU-facilitated dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina. I welcome the announcement of another high-level dialogue meeting next week. This is the only way to resolve outstanding issues and to reach a solution that respects the rights of all communities. This requires patience, perseverance and compromise, » added the NATO chief.
Stoltenberg also underlined that the attack targeting NATO’s peacekeeping mission in Kosovo in May is « totally unacceptable ».
For her part, Osmani-Sadriu told reporters that Kosovo and the Balkan region are in danger of becoming points of unrest due to Russia’s influence.
« Kosovo and the region risk becoming flash points because of Russia’s malign influence and the destabilization agenda of its proxies. Kosovo is experiencing repeated illegal foreign interference and a constant obstruction of its legitimate authority and sovereignty in the north of our country. This has in many occasions amounted to aggression, as defined by international law and practices, » commented Osmani-Sadriu.
« Let me be clear: the north of Kosovo was and will continue to be an integral part of the Republic of Kosovo. We will not allow the north of Kosovo to become the battlefield for achieving hegemonic ambitions of regional autocrats, instead we are committed to further integrate in the local communities, upholding their constitutionally guaranteed rights and offering them socio-economic opportunities to prosper, » she continued.
Stoltenberg emphasised the importance of cooperation between NATO and the European Union in Kosovo and the western Balkans, in a debate at the European Parliament on Thursday.
NATO gain control of Kosovo in 1999 after a 78-day war against Serbia in support of ethnic Albanian separatists. The provisional government in Pristina declared independence in 2008, despite UN Security Council Resolution 1244 backing Serbia’s territorial integrity. Half of the world’s countries, including Serbia, Russia, China, India, and some EU member states like Spain or Greece, do not recognise Kosovo as an independent country. »



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