Parliament Of Self-Proclaimed Kosovo Supports Creation Of National Army - Reports

The parliament of the self-proclaimed republic of Kosovo overwhelmingly supported the transformation of the Kosovo Security Force (KSF) into a fully functional army, local media reported Thursday.

BELGRADE (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 18th October, 2018) The parliament of the self-proclaimed republic of Kosovo overwhelmingly supported the transformation of the Kosovo Security Force (KSF) into a fully functional army, local media reported Thursday.

According to the Gazeta Express newspaper, 101 out of 102 lawmakers present at the voting supported the creation of the Defense Ministry.

Lawmakers from the Serbian List national minority party left the parliament ahead of the voting, the media outlet noted.

The formation of the armed forces of Kosovo requires amending the constitution of the partially recognized state with the consent of at least two-thirds of the 120-strong parliament.

In 2017, Pristina tried to carry out the transformation in another way via expansion of the KSF powers by means of a common law but the move faced international opposition, including from Russia, the European Union and the United States.

On Monday, Kadri Veseli, the speaker of the Kosovar parliament and the former field commander of the Albanian detachments, said that Pristina would create armed forces compliant with NATO standards before 2019.

In early October, the internal affairs and defense committee of the Kosovar parliament prepared a package of bills on the transformation of the KSF into the army and submitted them for approval. Representatives of the ruling party of the Kosovo President Hashim Thaci and the opposition were united in their desire to approve the bills.

Earlier, the prime minister of the self-proclaimed republic, Ramush Haradinaj, said that the United States had "blessed" the creation of a Kosovo army in accordance with NATO standards. The US Embassy in Pristina then reported that Washington was supporting the transformation of the security forces of the self-proclaimed Republic of Kosovo into a professional multinational army according to NATO standards with a limited mandate for territorial self-defense.

Pristina currently does not have its own army. Belgrade actively opposes its creation, citing the UN Security Council Resolution 1244 on the settlement in Kosovo and Metohija.

In 1999, the armed confrontation of Albanian separatists from the Kosovo Liberation Army, the Serbian army and police led to the bombing of the former Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY), which then included the territories of Serbia and Montenegro, by US-led NATO forces.

In 2004, Albanian militants attacked Serb communities, which led to the mass resettlement of Serbs from the province and the destruction of numerous Christian monuments of their history and culture.

Kosovo unilaterally proclaimed independence from Serbia in 2008 and is recognized by over 100 UN member states. Serbia, as well as Russia, China, Israel, Iran, Spain, Greece and some other countries do not recognize Kosovo's independence.