Kosovo’s Prime Minister Albin Kurti has reiterated Pristina’s official demands on Belgrade to recognize Kosovo’s independence and take responsibility for the armed attack in Banjska, in which police officer Afrim Bunjaku was killed. During a discussion with students of the Paris School of International Affairs, Kurti called on Serbia to hand over Milan Radoičić, whom he considered the main organizer of the attack in northern Kosovo.
Speaking about dialogue and the process of normalizing relations between the two countries, the head of Kosovo’s government stressed that Belgrade must face political reality and accept Kosovo as an independent state. “Serbia must recognize Kosovo’s independence and take responsibility for what happened in Banjska”, was the message Kurti conveyed during the conversation.
He also demanded that Serbian authorities stop efforts to obstruct Kosovo’s international recognition and its membership in international organizations. Kurti also paid special attention to the European integration of the Western Balkans. According to him, Russia’s war against Ukraine has changed the security reality in Europe and made the enlargement of the European Union an even more urgent issue.
He assessed that the countries of the region must move toward European integration without creating divisions or unequal treatment among them. The Prime Minister also raised the issue of the five EU member states and four NATO members that have not yet recognized Kosovo, calling for a new approach to this reality. In his argument, Kurti also addressed the historical circumstances of Kosovo’s declaration of independence, stressing that the experience of the Albanian people, characterized by repression, ethnic cleansing and genocide, cannot be compared with separatist movements.