Security at the main bridge over the Ibar River in Mitrovica has begun to pass into the hands of the Kosovo Police. At the same time, the institution is also being entrusted with new duties in the area surrounding Deçan Monastery.

The changes are being implemented as part of a gradual transition from KFOR’s permanent presence toward greater involvement by the Kosovo Police in the security structure. The process is being viewed as an important step in strengthening the local institutions responsible for law and order and security.

In an interview with “Bota sot,” lawyer Gazmend Halilaj discussed the political and institutional significance of this development, the message it sends to Belgrade, and its potential impact on domestic political discussions in Kosovo.

Halilaj said the phased transfer of responsibilities to Kosovo’s institutions does not represent a weakening of security or the international presence. According to him, it shows that the institutions of the Republic of Kosovo have increased their capacities and are ready to assume greater responsibility.

Referring to KFOR’s decision to gradually modify its permanent presence at the main bridge over the Ibar River in Mitrovica, in line with the improved security situation, he described it as a particularly important development for Kosovo. According to Halilaj, the process demonstrates that the security structures and institutions of the Republic of Kosovo are consolidating and assuming an increasingly significant role in guaranteeing law and order and security throughout the country.

He emphasized that KFOR continues to be of great importance to stability in Kosovo and the region. However, according to him, the objective of every democratic state is for local institutions to be capable of efficiently fulfilling their responsibilities. For this reason, KFOR’s gradual shift from a permanent presence toward a more flexible role should be understood as an indication of greater stability and stronger local capacities, rather than as a threat to security.

The lawyer also attached particular importance to the gradual integration of the Kosovo Police into KFOR’s security architecture at Deçan Monastery.

In his assessment, this step shows that the Kosovo Police’s role is expanding and trust in it is growing, especially in places where security issues have often been intertwined with political and ethnic tensions.

Halilaj said the phased integration of the Kosovo Police into KFOR’s security system at Deçan Monastery carries considerable institutional significance. He stressed that the Kosovo Police is increasingly being treated as a professional institution of importance to security in the Republic of Kosovo, which is particularly significant in areas where security has often been exploited as a tool to fuel political and ethnic tensions.

According to Halilaj, the latest developments also contain a direct message for Belgrade: responsibility for security in Kosovo rests with the institutions of the Republic of Kosovo.

He explained that institutional strengthening should not be presented as a measure directed against any community. On the contrary, according to him, it is about strengthening Kosovo’s constitutional order and institutional organization.

The lawyer said Belgrade must clearly understand that every step that strengthens the institutions responsible for security in Kosovo contributes to long-term stability. He reiterated that the process is not directed against any community but aims to consolidate the country’s constitutional and institutional order.

Regarding political actors within Kosovo that oppose or downplay the strengthening of state institutions, Halilaj said this development should serve as evidence that building professional and functional institutions benefits all citizens, regardless of their ethnic or political affiliation.

Speaking about the political impact, he said the Kosovo government may also present this development as a political achievement. However, Halilaj stressed that strengthening the security institutions cannot be considered the achievement of only one particular government or party.

According to him, security is a matter of state interest, so any progress made in this regard should be regarded as a shared success of Kosovo’s institutions.

Halilaj said that growing confidence in local capabilities and the strengthening of security structures are positive developments for the state, and it is therefore natural for the Kosovo government to also regard them as a political success. Nevertheless, he called it unfair for such an institutional process to be appropriated by one government or political force, because the security of the Republic of Kosovo is a state interest and the results in this sector belong to the country’s institutions as a whole.

In conclusion, Halilaj called on the opposition to approach this development with a sense of responsibility toward the state. He said opposition to the government should not become an obstacle to processes that strengthen the security institutions.

According to him, the interests of the state, rather than party gains, should take priority because governments and parties change, while state institutions continue to exist.

He stressed that the opposition may criticize the government on many issues, but improved security, the strengthening of the Kosovo Police, and the expansion of the responsibilities of the Republic’s institutions should not be turned into an ordinary clash between political parties.

Gazmend Halilaj concluded his statement to “Bota sot” by reiterating that parties enter and leave the political stage and governments change, while state institutions remain. For precisely this reason, according to him, this is a case in which the interests of the state must be placed above party interests.

The post KFOR Begins Transferring Responsibilities to Kosovo Police at the Ibar Bridge and Deçan Monastery, Halilaj Explains the Significance appeared first on Albeu.com.

Responsibility for security at the main bridge over the Ibar River in Mitrovica has begun to be transferred to the Kosovo Police, which is also taking on new duties in the area surrounding Deçan Monastery.

The handover is taking place as part of the gradual transition from KFOR’s permanent presence and the greater integration of the Kosovo Police into the security architecture. This process is being viewed as an important step toward consolidating local security institutions.

In an interview with “Bota sot,” lawyer Gazmend Halilaj discussed the political and institutional significance of this development, the signal it sends to Belgrade, and its potential impact on the domestic political debate in Kosovo.

Halilaj said the gradual transfer of responsibilities to Kosovo’s institutions does not mean a weakening of security or of the international role. According to him, it shows that the institutions of the Republic of Kosovo have expanded their capabilities and are assuming greater responsibility.

He said KFOR’s decision to gradually adjust its permanent presence at the main bridge over the Ibar River in Mitrovica, following an improvement in the security situation, represents a particularly important development for Kosovo. In his view, this move demonstrates that the security structures and institutions of the Republic of Kosovo are growing stronger and assuming increasing responsibility for maintaining order and security throughout the country.

Halilaj stressed that KFOR continues to be of great importance to stability in Kosovo and the region. However, according to him, every democratic state should aim for its own institutions to effectively exercise the responsibilities that belong to them. For this reason, the transition from KFOR’s permanent presence to a more flexible role should not be understood as undermining security, but as an indication of a more stable situation and stronger local capabilities.

The lawyer also emphasized the importance of the gradual integration of the Kosovo Police into KFOR’s security architecture at Deçan Monastery.

According to him, this process shows that the role of the Kosovo Police is expanding and confidence in it is growing, especially in areas where security issues have often been intertwined with political and ethnic tensions.

Halilaj said the gradual integration of the Kosovo Police into KFOR’s security system at Deçan Monastery carries significant institutional weight. He said the police are increasingly being regarded as a professional and important security institution in the Republic of Kosovo, something that takes on particular significance in areas where security has often been used as a tool to fuel political and ethnic tensions.

Speaking about the message to Belgrade, Halilaj emphasized that recent developments make it clear that responsibility for security in Kosovo belongs to the institutions of the Republic of Kosovo.

He added that institutional strengthening should not be interpreted as an action against any community, but as a reinforcement of the country’s constitutional and institutional order.

According to Halilaj, Belgrade must clearly understand that every step strengthening the institutions of the Republic of Kosovo contributes to long-term stability. He reiterated that this process is not directed against any community, but is intended to consolidate Kosovo’s constitutional and institutional order.

He also said this development should serve as an argument for political actors within Kosovo who oppose or downplay the strengthening of state institutions. According to him, building professional and functional institutions is in the interest of all citizens, regardless of their ethnic or political affiliation.

As for its political impact, Halilaj said the Kosovo government could present the development as a political success. However, he emphasized that the strengthening of security institutions cannot be credited solely to one government or one party.

In his assessment, security is a matter of state interest, and progress in this sector should therefore be regarded as an achievement of Kosovo’s institutions as a whole.

Halilaj said the strengthening of security institutions and growing confidence in local capabilities are positive developments for the state, and the Kosovo government may therefore also view them as a political success. However, according to him, it would not be right for such an institutional process to be treated as the exclusive property of a political party or government, because the security of the Republic of Kosovo is a state interest and successes in this area belong to the country’s institutions as a whole.

In conclusion, Halilaj called on the opposition to approach this development with a sense of responsibility toward the state. He said criticism of the government should not turn into opposition to processes that strengthen security institutions.

He stressed that the state interest must be placed above party interests because governments and parties change, while state institutions remain.

According to Halilaj, the opposition may criticize the government on many issues, but the strengthening of the Kosovo Police, improvements in security, and the increased responsibilities of the Republic’s institutions should not be turned into a routine partisan dispute.

“Bota sot” concluded the interview with Gazmend Halilaj’s position that this is precisely a case in which the state interest must prevail over party interests, since governments change and parties come and go, while state institutions remain.

The post Kosovo Police Take on New Responsibilities at the Ibar Bridge and Deçan Monastery, Halilaj Explains the Significance of the Development appeared first on Albeu.com.

The Kosovo Police has begun taking responsibility for security on the main bridge over the Ibar River in Mitrovica. At the same time, it is also being assigned new duties in the area surrounding Deçan Monastery.

This process is part of the gradual change in KFOR’s permanent presence and the greater involvement of the Kosovo Police in security structures. The development is being considered important for strengthening local institutions.

Lawyer Gazmend Halilaj, speaking to “Bota sot,” discussed the political and institutional significance of this step, the message it sends to Belgrade, and its possible consequences for Kosovo’s domestic political debate.

Halilaj said that the transfer of responsibilities to Kosovo institutions does not represent a weakening of security or of the international role, but shows that the institutions of the Republic of Kosovo are increasing their capabilities and taking on more responsibilities.

He described KFOR’s decision to gradually move away from a permanent presence on the main bridge over the Ibar River as a development of particular importance, linked to the improvement of the security situation.

According to him, this step demonstrates that the institutions and security structures of the Republic of Kosovo are being consolidated and are becoming capable of guaranteeing order and security throughout the country’s territory.

Halilaj stressed that KFOR’s presence remains essential for the stability of Kosovo and the region. However, he added that in a democratic state, the aim should be for local institutions to function effectively and exercise their respective responsibilities.

For this reason, he said, the transition from a permanent KFOR presence to a more flexible role should be understood as a sign of greater stability and stronger local capabilities, rather than as a threat to security.

He also gave particular assessment to the gradual involvement of the Kosovo Police in KFOR’s security architecture at Deçan Monastery.

Gazmend Halilaj.

The lawyer said that this process demonstrates the growing role of and trust in the Kosovo Police, especially in areas where security issues have often been linked to political and ethnic tensions.

According to Halilaj, the integration of the Kosovo Police into this security structure shows that it is increasingly being viewed as a professional and important security institution of the Republic of Kosovo.

He assessed that this is particularly significant in areas where security has often been used as a tool to fuel political and ethnic tensions.

Halilaj said that these developments send Belgrade a clear message: responsibility for security in Kosovo belongs to the institutions of the Republic of Kosovo.

He emphasized that strengthening these institutions should not be interpreted as an action against any particular community, but as the consolidation of the country’s constitutional and institutional order.

He also said that political actors in Kosovo who oppose or downplay the strengthening of state institutions should view this development as evidence that building functional and professional structures serves the interests of all citizens, regardless of ethnic or political affiliation.

Speaking about the political dimension, the lawyer said that the Government of Kosovo may regard the assumption of these responsibilities as a political achievement, since strengthening security institutions and increasing confidence in local capabilities are positive developments for the state.

However, he stressed that an institutional process of this nature should not be attributed solely to one government or one political party.

According to him, the security of the Republic of Kosovo is a state interest, while progress in this area should be considered the result of Kosovo’s institutions as a whole.

Halilaj also called on the opposition to address this issue with a sense of state responsibility. He said criticism of the Government may continue on various issues, but it should not turn into opposition to processes that strengthen the Kosovo Police, improve security, and increase the responsibility of the institutions of the Republic.

He added that the interests of the state must stand above party interests, since governments change and political parties come and go, while state institutions remain.

“Bota sot” concluded its conversation with Gazmend Halilaj, who described this as a case in which the state interest should stand above the party interest.

The post Security responsibilities in Ibar and Deçan gradually transferred to Kosovo institutions, Halilaj: A clear message to Belgrade appeared first on Albeu.com.