RPT: PREVIEW - Kosovo Parliament To Vote On Establishment Of National Army On Friday

RPT: PREVIEW - Kosovo Parliament to Vote on Establishment of National Army on Friday

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 14th December, 2018) The national army of the self-proclaimed republic of Kosovo is expected to be be officially established on December 14.

The announcement was made by the speaker of the Kosovar parliament, Kadri Veseli, earlier this month, and was followed by Kosovo Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj claiming that the army would be a modest contributor to creating world peace. Kosovo's lawmakers are expected to vote on Friday on three laws that would transform the national security force into the country's regular army.

Creation of Kosovo's army will undermine the mediation efforts of the European Union on peace settlement between Serbia and Kosovo and prospects of stabilization, experts told Sputnik.

Bojan Elek, a researcher at the Belgrade Centre for Security Policy (BCSP), told Sputnik that the creation of Kosovo' national army would undermine mediation efforts of the European Union and conflict settlement with Serbia in general.

"As far as the settlement of Serbia-Kosovo dispute is concerned, the establishment of KAF comes at a very precarious moment where the Brussels-mediated dialogue is effectively suspended and will certainly not contribute to the ongoing normalization efforts," Elek said.

The expert noted that the creation of Kosovo's army was a long term process which started with the creation of Kosovo Protection Corps immediately after the Kosovo war, followed by their transformation into Kosovo Security Forces in line with the Ahtisaari Plan and to be finalized by creation of the army.

Velimir Ilic, the president of the New Serbia party, told Sputnik that the European Union, being the mediator between Kosovo and Serbia, will become useless for easing the tensions after Kosovo creates its own armed forces.

"The European Union should have reacted, and if they want peace in the region they must prevent the formation of the Kosovo army. Every EU involvement after the formation of the Kosovo army makes no sense," Ilic said.

The politician highlighted that under the Constitution of the Republic of Serbia, Kosovo did not have the right to form an army and its army could only be treated as a paramilitary formation.

On December, 5 NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg called the decision of Kosovo to transform its existing security force into an army "ill-timed" amid existing tensions with Serbia. However on December, 6 Kosovo's prime minister stated that the creation of a national army would not hamper Pristina's relations with NATO despite Stoltenberg's expressed concern.

Elek said that despite NATO's concern, support from international partners and the ongoing "customs war" with Serbia it was highly unlikely that Kosovo would change its decision.

"Moreover, after repeated failures of the Kosovo Government's foreign policy, namely unsuccessful bids for Interpol membership and visa free regime with the EU, the establishment of KAF could serve as an instrument to appeal to more nationalistic parts of Kosovo society because this is the only thing the Government can deliver," the expert said.

The Kosovar army will reportedly consist of 5,000 active soldiers and 3,000 reservists, and will receive 300 million Euros ($340 million) in funding over three years to equip and train its forces.

EFFECT ON STABILITY IN BALKAN REGION

According to the president of New Serbia party, the creation of Kosovo's army would not benefit stability in the Balkan region.

"Creating paramilitary formations in Kosovo can destabilize the region because Kosovo is not a legal state that has to have right to its own army," Ilic said.

The politician added that Kosovo's army would be a way to further aggravate relations in the Balkans.

Bojan Elek stated that effects would not be immediately visible and the possible consequences should not be a matter of serious concern regarding stability in the region.

"If established, KAF will remain with limited operational capabilities, few in numbers and, most importantly, KFOR [NATO-led Kosovo Force] will still remain key security provider and guarantor of peace. Moreover, even after the transformation, KAF will remain dependent on close coordination and cooperation with international partners, as is the case at the moment," the expert said.

Marko Djuric, the director of the Serbian government's office for Kosovo and Metohija, told Sputnik on Tuesday that the Serbian authorities call on the international community and KFOR to stop the creation of the Kosovar national army as the move would endanger the Balkan region.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in an interview on December 7 that the situation in the Balkans in general was worrying because NATO and the European Union had been boosting their efforts aimed at spreading influence in the region, calling such actions dangerous for the European security and escalating tensions.

Kosovo currently does not have its own army. Serbia actively opposes its creation, citing UN Security Council Resolution 1244 on settlement in Kosovo and Metohija defining Kosovo as an integral part of Serbia and providing a framework for the resolution of the conflict in Kosovo by authorizing the deployment of an international civilian and military presence.

According to Bojan Elek, EU's inability to change the mind of Kosovo's government regarding the creation of the army along with introduced import tariffs against Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina demonstrated that Brussels had largely lost its leverage in Kosovo.

"If the EU wishes to remain the broker in the normalization process, it must act in unity and the member states should step up its efforts in the region through increased engagement with both parties," Elek said.

The expert pointed out that the argument heard among some Kosovo citizens was that "EU has nothing on us" since Kosovo did not get anything from the EU they hoped for, such as visa liberalization, clear membership prospects and recognition of Kosovo's independence.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that the European Union's failure to make Kosovo respect its EU-brokered obligations to Serbia called into question the bloc's reputation.

On November 21, Kosovo imposed 100-percent import duties on all products originating from Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia on goods coming from the two countries because of their hostile approach toward Kosovo. Both Kosovo's decisions on creating a national army and imposing tariffs on goods were criticized by Serbia.

Kosovo proclaimed its independence from Serbia in 2008 and was recognized by over 100 UN member states. The move was not, however, recognized by Serbia and two permanent members of the UN Security Council � Russia and China. In 2011, Brussels launched several rounds of talks between Belgrade and Kosovo, bringing the parties to the negotiating table for the first time since Kosovo's secession. The 2013 agreement came as a result of the EU-mediated consultations.