TIRANA, November 22 – Regional stability and, in particular, the guarantee of security on the border between Kosovo and Serbia took a special place, not only in the informal meeting that NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg held in Skopje with the allies of Southeast European countries , but also in the joint media conference that was held after the meeting on Wednesday.
The head of the Albanian government, Edi Rama, while expressing regret for the incident in Banjska, which according to him should be considered a warning about the high risk that exists for destabilization and escalation of a conflict and not a sporadic event, asked for an increase in NATO forces in Kosovo.
“I emphasized the necessity of increasing the number of NATO forces in Kosovo and the necessity to guarantee the border between Kosovo and Serbia, which is actually out of control,” said Rama.
The fragility of the situation in the Balkans was also highlighted by the Secretary General of NATO, who emphasized that the alliance is ready to respond to any need in Kosovo as well.
“What we see is the increase in tensions, especially in Kosovo and Bosnia and Herzegovina. We have increased our presence in Kosovo with about 1,000 soldiers and heavy weapons and we are more vigilant and will do what is necessary,” he said. Another proposal of the head of the Albanian government was that of holding a permanent round table where participants are not only NATO allies, but also other Balkan countries.
This proposal also found the support of the Croatian president.
“I think that this is a very well thought out proposal. I believe that we will find ways that the countries of the Region and Southeast Europe will engage in this direction. What he will take with him from this meeting is exactly what Prime Minister Edi Rama proposed,” Milanovic said.
In his speech to the media, the head of the Albanian government Rama said that another issue raised in the meeting was the construction of the NATO military base in Porto Romano in Durrës.
“We strongly believe that everything that happens step by step reinforces the strategic value of such an investment,” Rama said. /argumentum.a
