Experts demand measures against Serbia and Kosovo’s NATO membership by 2029 after UN debate

Kosovo’s security and the influence of Serbian policies on regional stability remain sensitive issues in international discussions.

During the United Nations Security Council meeting, Glauk Konjufca expressed concerns about Serbia’s stance toward Kosovo, responsibility for actions that endanger security, and the international community’s commitment to maintaining peace. He also criticized the UNMIK report, objecting to the way developments in Kosovo and the difficulties the country faces were portrayed.

These statements were made at a time when relations between Kosovo and Serbia continue to be marked by distrust and political tensions. Kosovo is asking international partners to pay more attention to its security concerns.

In this situation, the positions of Western allies and their readiness to respond to developments that could undermine the security and stability of Kosovo and the region play an important role.

How seriously is the international community assessing the risk that Serbia poses to Kosovo’s security? Is a more decisive response to Belgrade’s policies missing?

Fehlinger: Responsibility for Banjska and an end to the UNMIK mission

Austrian expert Gunther Fehlinger, in a statement to “Bota sot”, supported Konjufca’s speech at the Security Council. According to him, the international community is still not treating with due seriousness the security threat posed by Aleksandar Vučić’s Serbia.

Fehlinger demanded that those responsible for the terrorist attack in Banjska face justice, that UNMIK’s mandate be reviewed, and that Kosovo take concrete steps toward Euro-Atlantic integration.

He described Glauk Konjufca’s intervention at the UN Security Council as powerful and welcome. According to Fehlinger, the terrorist attack of September 24, 2023 in Banjska showed that armed destabilization is a real danger, while the international response has not been sufficient. He said that Milan Radoičić, as well as all persons who organized, financed or supported the attack, must be brought to justice.

Speaking about UNMIK, the Austrian expert said the mission should be reassessed in line with today’s political and institutional reality. He described Kosovo as an independent state with democratic institutions and opposed the indefinite continuation of an international framework created in 1999.

Fehlinger supports the gradual and responsible conclusion of the UNMIK mission, while asking NATO’s KFOR to continue providing strong security guarantees.

According to him, strengthening security in Kosovo requires a clear international strategy. He proposed that the country join NATO and the European Union by 2029, calling Euro-Atlantic integration decisive for Kosovo’s sustainable security and regional stability.

His proposed measures are: Kosovo’s NATO membership by 2029 with the support of all member states; EU membership also by 2029, through accelerated integration and an end to political isolation; a demand that Serbia cooperate fully with investigations into the Banjska attack and, if responsibility for destabilization is proven, face targeted European sanctions; strengthening NATO’s preventive capacities; and Serbia’s recognition of Kosovo.

Fehlinger said KFOR should be equipped with the necessary capacities to deter armed interventions, protect Kosovo’s territorial integrity, and guarantee the security of all citizens, regardless of ethnicity.

He called on Vučić to abandon political confrontations and stressed that Serbia’s European perspective is linked to recognizing Kosovo and building peaceful relations between two sovereign states. Likewise, according to him, Kosovo must guarantee the Serb minority full democratic, cultural and religious rights.

The expert warned that accepting continued insecurity in the Western Balkans as a normal state of affairs would be a strategic mistake for Europe. He asked the international community not to limit itself to crisis management, but to seek solutions that ensure long-term peace and stability.

Fehlinger assessed that Kosovo’s independence cannot be undone and that its security must be permanent. He said the country’s future is in NATO, the European Union and the Eurozone, while he asked Europe to resolve the Kosovo issue through full Euro-Atlantic integration, instead of managing it endlessly.

Dashevci: Serbia continues hybrid war against Kosovo, while UNMIK has lost its function

Security expert Arben Dashevci said Serbia has not abandoned policies he described as destructive toward Kosovo. According to him, attempts at destabilization continue through hybrid warfare, propaganda, disinformation and sabotage.

He recalled that Kosovo is an independent and sovereign state, but tensions with Serbia have continued since the end of the war in 1999. Dashevci said Serbia has not stopped its approach against Kosovo and that, since 2020, special warfare has turned into open hybrid warfare, with disinformation, propaganda and sabotage.

Dashevci supported Foreign Minister Glauk Konjufca’s criticism of the UNMIK report and the raising of the issue of Serbia’s responsibility for actions that, according to Kosovo, harm security and stability. He said UNMIK no longer has competencies in the Republic of Kosovo, as the country has functioned as a state since February 17, 2008.

According to the expert, the mission should be closed. He also referred to the statement of the US ambassador to the UN, who, as he said, called for the end of a mission without competencies. However, UNMIK continues to operate under Resolution 1244, and Russia, Serbia, China, Iran and others participate in the meetings held every six months, Dashevci emphasized.

He questioned how effective the international approach to security risks in the region, especially in the Balkans, is, and mentioned Russia’s destructive influence, as well as Serbia as its supporter in the region.

Dashevci asked the international community to treat more seriously the threat that, according to him, Serbia poses to Kosovo’s security. He recalled the attack in Banjska in 2023 and the one on the Ibër-Lepenc canal in 2024, adding that the people involved in the Banjska incident continue to be free in Serbia.

He said a more decisive response to Belgrade’s policies is lacking and that Kosovo’s institutions should increase their engagement with strategic allies. According to him, this is necessary to take measures against Serbia and ensure long-term stability and security for Kosovo.