Tensions in the North, a fierce debate begins in the Parliament of Kosovo

The Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, accused official Belgrade on Friday of organizing and inciting violent protests in the northern municipalities of Kosovo inhabited by Serbian majority.

He made these comments during a debate in the parliament of Kosovo where he was criticized by the opposition for actions in the north without coordination with the main allies, primarily the United States, which opposed the forceful entry of Albanian mayors into the northern municipalities. He emphasized that accompanying the new mayors with police forces was not a political decision.

"I have to emphasize that the association of new presidents with security forces is an assessment of the security institutions that assess the degree of dangerousness, so it is not a political decision, but I, as the prime minister, support this, even then and today, they assessed correctly . Otherwise, if it were not so, we would have mayors who are hit by criminal gangs because we would be exposed to the attack that was pre-prepared and required a pretext", said Prime Minister Kurti.

The violence in the north, he said, is Serbia's responsibility.

"Protests come from below, these are not protests from below but from above, which means they are not protests, there is nothing authentic in those protests, it is not the will of the people, but a directive from Belgrade, and I am sorry for Serbian citizens who are forced to go to these protests because I think that today they are the most unfree people in Kosovo", said Prime Minister Kurti.

The Democratic Party and the Democratic League of Kosovo said that jeopardizing relations with Kosovo's strategic partners is a high price to pay to enable the work of new Albanian mayors in the northern municipalities inhabited by a majority of Serbs.

"Don't get me wrong, it's right to go to those municipalities, I also know for sure that we can go and we can send the mayors with the police and keep them inside, and even Vucic's criminal gangs can't stop them because they will withdraw. But is it possible for you to tell me if the cost is jeopardizing relations with all of Kosovo's allies, if the cost is the punishments that have already begun and which may continue, do you think it is worth it?", said the chairman of the Democratic Party of Kosovo. Memli Krasniqi.

"In this clear and open public confrontation of Kosovo with the entire democratic world, with the historical allies of Kosovo, our confrontation with the criminal gangs in the north and our confrontation with Serbia itself remains in the second order, because without the former not only with allies but with allies against us, our country is unlikely to maintain either sovereignty, integrity or stability. Our country is likely to lose both allies and sovereignty, Albin Kurti is sending us down this path today", said the chairman of the Democratic League of Kosovo.

The Alliance for the Future of Kosovo demanded the overthrow of the government, which, as the leader of this party, Ramush Haradinaj, said, was doing actions that suit the opponents of Kosovo's allies.

"Who benefits from deceiving our security allies into treason? Russia wins, our enemies win, Serbia wins, those gangs that this (prime minister of Kosovo) is counting with lists win. For this reason, I propose to you MPs, without dividing you into parties, to go to the motion and stop mistrust to the point of infidelity, humiliation to the point of enmity and deception to the point of treason, that is, the motion to dismiss the Kurti government", Prime Minister Kurti said.

Western diplomacy has criticized the Kosovo authorities for the escalation of the situation in the north of the country, after groups of Serbian citizens clashed with the Kosovo police and NATO peacekeeping forces while they were opposing the entry of the new mayors into the buildings of the respective municipalities. The United States of America canceled Kosovo's participation in the "Defender Europe 2023" exercises, due to the government's lack of coordination regarding the developments in the north, while they have not ruled out the possibility of other punishments./ VOA