KFOR’s decision to gradually withdraw its permanent presence from the Ibar Bridge in Mitrovica, together with the step-by-step inclusion of the Kosovo Police in KFOR’s security structure at Deçan Monastery, has sparked debate about the growing role of local institutions in ensuring security throughout the country.
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KFOR and NATO have linked these two steps to the improved security situation in Kosovo. The developments are also being interpreted as an indication of greater confidence in the capabilities of local institutions, particularly the Kosovo Police. While Belgrade has reacted to the decision, a debate has emerged in Kosovo over whether it represents a political success for the current government or institutional progress benefiting the state.
Addressing these issues, Professor Enver Bytyçi gave a statement to “Bota sot,” describing the decisions concerning the Ibar Bridge and Deçan Monastery as evidence of improved security and NATO’s growing confidence in the Kosovo Police.
In his assessment, the significance of these developments is not limited to security. They also carry political weight because they show that Kosovo’s institutions have increased their capacity to maintain order and stability.
Bytyçi said that two developments had taken place in recent days: KFOR announced that responsibility for the Ibar Bridge is being transferred to the Kosovo Police, while the latter is also being given the right to ensure normality at Deçan Monastery. According to him, both decisions are based on the improved security situation. He claimed that the media and opposition in Kosovo had ignored and remained silent about these developments, which, according to him, were overshadowed by destructive and anarchic actions in the Kosovo Assembly.
The professor argued that the decisions did not come about by chance but are the result of an ongoing process of strengthening Kosovo’s institutions and increasing international confidence in them. For Bytyçi, the gradual transfer of certain duties from KFOR to the Kosovo Police demonstrates that local institutions can assume ever-greater responsibility for security.
He said that the Ibar Bridge and Deçan Monastery, as two sites of particular importance with the potential to cause insecurity in Kosovo, would one day come under the authority of the Kosovo Police. However, according to him, this required security and guarantees, which KFOR and NATO now assess as being in place in Kosovo.
Bytyçi attributed reaching this point to what he called Albin Kurti’s stubborn conduct, which the opposition has consistently portrayed as a “catastrophe” for Kosovo. According to him, current developments show that this “catastrophe” was not for Kosovo, but for Serbia.
Referring to Serbian President Aleksandër Vuçiq’s criticism of the decisions and the KFOR commander, the professor said Belgrade’s reaction shows that these measures directly affect Serbia’s political interests concerning Kosovo.
According to Bytyçi, Belgrade has been angered by these highly positive developments because it understands that it will never return to Kosovo and will not be able to take any part of its territory. He added that the message to Belgrade is that NATO stands with Kosovo and does not accept partners “with a hundred faces” such as Aleksandër Vuçiq.
In his interpretation, KFOR’s decisions clearly signal that Kosovo’s institutions are assuming an increasingly significant role in ensuring the country’s security. Bytyçi also believes that the strengthening of the state cannot be undone by political pressure from abroad.
The professor also considers these developments a political achievement for the Government of Kosovo. According to him, growing confidence in the Kosovo Police and the improved security situation legitimize the policies pursued by Prime Minister Albin Kurti.
He stated that stability and security in Kosovo are the result of Prime Minister Kurti’s courageous steps, taken even against the advice of allies. In Bytyçi’s assessment, this not only lends legitimacy to the actions and security policies of this government, but also increases its authority among the country’s citizens.
Speaking about the opposition’s stance, Bytyçi claimed that part of it seeks to downplay the significance of every positive result achieved by the current government. According to him, the latest security developments weaken the opposition’s political arguments against the executive.
He raised the question of why opposition figures appear dissatisfied with this development and answered by claiming that they had prepared a scenario to destabilize the country and mobilize citizens in protests against the Kurti Government and its policies. Bytyçi said that placing the Ibar Bridge and Deçan Monastery under the supervision of the Kosovo Police undermines their alibi, plans and scenario.
However, the professor stressed that this is about more than the success of a party or government. According to him, these steps are directly linked to the consolidation of the state of Kosovo and the strengthening of its institutions.
Bytyçi said that NATO’s two decisions are not accidental, but reflect the ability of Kosovo’s institutions to build the state and ensure peace and security both in Kosovo and across the region. According to him, peace and stability are not ensured by Edi Rama’s opportunistic statements to Aleksandër Vuçiq, nor by his accusations concerning Pristina’s “nationalism.”
He argued that the guarantee comes from an active policy in defense of Kosovo’s freedom, independence, statehood and sovereignty, describing this as the greatest lesson from these developments.
In conclusion, Bytyçi called for the increased responsibilities of the Kosovo Police to be viewed by political actors as institutional progress serving the state, regardless of which political force is in power. According to him, a responsible opposition should welcome every step that strengthens Kosovo’s security and sovereignty, even when credit is attributed to the opposing government.
Enver Bytyçi concluded his statement to “Bota sot” by describing the current conduct of Kosovo’s opposition as shameful and saying that it shows, in his view, a complete lack of respect for the successes of Albin Kurti’s government.
