Rama: Serbian KSF members fled due to blackmail, close to military transformation

In an interview given for Kosova Prees, Nakman Rama also talks about the removal of Serb members from the KSF institution. According to him, it is neither moral nor legal, for someone on the outside to intervene in Kosovo's affairs.

The Kosovo government has approved a package of three bills for KSF, thus proceeding with the Assembly for approval. These bills regulate the role, functioning and service of the KSF.

Thus, it is intended to complete the prolonged process of forming Kosovo's army.

KSF commander says this process has only made the political problem difficult, since the KSF has long been ready to take on new tasks.

Asked about the conditions and equipment the new force will have, Rama says the important thing is for members to be prepared.

The “Pajis is the spent material we can buy, but it's more important that we be prepared to use those devices. And we have given him extraordinary importance. What has made it difficult, except for the political problem that we all know, has not made this process difficult, because we have said four years ago that we are willing to start implementing these common plans that we have made with our partners. I can say responsibly, that everything we've done so far, we've done based on NATO standards, because that's my goal and purpose, tomorrow day after tomorrow to be part of Euro-Atlantic structures”, Rama says.

Since the establishment, the KSF's priority has been the integration of minority communities living in Kosovo. Currently, their participation in the KSF is 10.2 percent.

Even earlier this year, The KSF had made special recruits only for the Serb community, thus adding the number, 5.5 per cent in the KSF were only Serbs.

But this number suffered a decline this year, when many KSF members, from the Serb community, resigned.

The KSF commander has so far signed 51 outgoing decisions.

Unfortunately, the pressures they've made, from outside Kosovo, blackmail, threats that have been made to KSF members, so far we have 51 removed, I'm speaking in official data and decisions that have been signed, because they have applied for remigration and are procedures, we have laws and regulations that should not be respected and based on those laws and regulations, I have signed 51 decisions that have been removed from the KSF. Others keep working hard, I'm still saying, some pressure and blackmail they have, but what's very important is that we as forces don't have the problem of replacing them. We have applicants, we have apps that we will in the near future replace with future generations or new recruits that will be”, Rama said.

But, according to the head of the most reliable institution in the country, their departure had nothing to do with any problems of members with the KSF, since according to him, they had all declared that they were very satisfied with the treatment and work there.

General Rama estimates that it is neither moral nor legal to have someone involved in the internal affairs of another country.

It's not ethical, it's not moral, it's not legal that I get involved in the affairs of another country, but unfortunately it's happening and we understand the pressures behind them, not only to our members, but to their family members, however it's a voluntary decision, because our force is voluntary, professional and we don't hold anyone here. What's very important, every request for debilisation has not followed a single bad word for the institution”, he says.

On the other hand, Rama says forming the military poses no danger to anyone, but it will be a factor of stability in Kosovo and the region.

This process has dragged on for four or five years, we don't expect anything good, it's part of a certain game, but it's our right anyway that as an independent state, not just us, but Kosovo citizens want to have a force that will take care of their security. And we are not building a force that will be dangerous for someone, but we are building a force that is in service to all Kosovo citizens, and that is ready in the future with the head peacekeeping mission”, Rama said.

To the departure of Serb KSF members Rama says the QUINT countries were announced, NATO, KFOR and all security institutions.

The Kosovo Security Force is a constitutional category, and its change can be made only with the Constitution.

To change the constitution requires two-thirds of the deputies, including two-thirds of the deputies from the Serb community.