"Sending the KSF to Gaza, a strategic step for Kosovo"

The deployment of Kosovo Security Force (KSF) troops to Gaza constitutes a strategic step and evidence that Kosovo is transforming from a consumer to a security provider, said the executive director of the Kosovo Center for Security Studies (KCSS), Mentor Vrajolli.

Vrajolli, in an interview with Ekonomia Online, emphasized that this commitment is also a form of returning the contribution to international partners, especially the United States of America.

"Yes, this means that Kosovo has matured in some way as a society. Kosovo has managed to transform itself from a security consumer into a security provider, which I think should be extremely appreciated. I think it is also a strategic step because we need to reward all the contributions that the international community has made to Kosovo, especially the United States of America. So in this case I think it is also a contribution in return for what the United States of America has done for us, and I think this should be done as soon as possible. It is also a good opportunity for Kosovo to be a contributor to peace-building around the world. As is known, there has been an extremely difficult conflict in the Gaza Strip and I think that region deserves peace. We hope that this initiative will bring peace that has been awaited for a long time and that that country will not be an arena of conflicts," he said.

He added that the specific role of the KSF in this mission will be determined later, but every contribution is considered important.

"I think this will be determined in the meantime. I think it is too early to talk about this step. Whatever the KSF's contribution is, it will be in some form of covering one of the chains that is needed for this mission to function there, and I believe that any contribution that is made in this direction is equivalent to contributions, whether those that are on the front lines of exposure or those that are logistical. I think they are necessary and in whatever capacity the KSF is involved, I think it contributes to this mission and contributes to peacebuilding there," he said.

Vrajolli also spoke about the importance of the support of the United States of America in the process of Kosovo's membership in NATO.

"The United States of America is a key country for NATO membership. It was also seen in the case of Sweden's membership, especially when there was a blockade by Turkey and this blockade was overcome precisely through the intervention of the United States of America. Even in this case, in the issue of the five non-recognizers (states that do not recognize Kosovo), I think that all these four non-recognizers that are in NATO are aligned with the interests of Western states and I think that pressure from a key state such as the United States of America, genuine pressure, not pressure to somehow break the principles but to return these states to the principled basis, can influence them not to block the process of Kosovo's membership in NATO or even to take a step further to recognize Kosovo", he said.

He assessed that the KSF has made significant progress and is ready for international operations.

"The KSF is developing rapidly, it has invested enormously. It is a more accelerated investment in recent years than it was before. This is related to the fact that the KSF has not been transformed before, and the threats and risks have also changed. I think that some of the limitations that were in place at the beginning, more or less, in 2018 have been removed due to the fact that it was deemed necessary for the KSF to have protection capacities that exceed defensive capacities. So I think that the KSF has developed well. This is expected to end in 2028, the deadline that is foreseen for the full consolidation of the KSF, but in many issues I think that the KSF is perhaps even premature in terms of achieving these capacities. I think that the KSF has been ready even earlier to be part of more complex operations, so I think that it is ready to contribute," he said.

The Kosovo Government has approved the Ministry of Defense's proposal to send Kosovo Security Force (KSF) troops to Gaza, paving the way for the decision to proceed for approval in the Kosovo Assembly.

According to the legislation in force, after the executive's decision, the matter is passed to legislators for review and voting, while ultimately the approval of the country's president is also required.

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti, during a Government meeting, said that "we are ready to participate and help the people of Gaza, because we ourselves have been and are beneficiaries of international forces since 1999."

Minister of Defense, Ejup Maqedonci, emphasized that through this commitment, Kosovo aims to prove that it is a reliable partner and ready to act alongside allies in support of peace and security.

The decision to send troops was approved without any votes against and without any abstentions.

The deployment of KSF troops is expected to take place within the framework of the International Stabilization Force (INS), a mechanism created as part of the so-called Peace Board initiative, proposed by US President Donald Trump, to achieve world peace.

Kosovo is among the first five states – along with Indonesia, Morocco, Kazakhstan and Albania – that have pledged to engage in this mission, with the aim of providing security and supervising the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.

However, it is still not known when exactly the deployment of troops will take place and how many there will be. The Ministry of Defense has previously announced that the draft decision on this issue was forwarded to the Government on March 3.