Kosovo's membership in NATO has become one of the most important strategic issues for security in the Western Balkans.
In a period of increasing geopolitical tensions and hybrid threats in the region, and in particular from Serbia, Kosovo is increasingly seen as an important factor of stability.
Therefore, there are continuous calls for the Republic to become a member of the largest security Alliance in the world.
Even weeks ago, in a discussion held in the Foreign Affairs Committee of the House of Representatives in the United States of America, there was a call for Kosovo to join NATO and for pressure to be increased on Serbia to stop the campaign of denials and obstacles, and to leave the Russian orbit.
Precisely for this reason, in a statement to RTK, Acting Minister of Defense Ejup Maqedonci said that in all aspects the Kosovo Force is ready to stand alongside the most powerful armies in the world within the NATO alliance.
"Kosovo, in terms of military, defense, capacities and many other things, is already ready to be part of NATO. Naturally, the main challenge remains the political aspect within NATO itself, more precisely the reluctance of non-recognizing countries to accept Kosovo into NATO, which I believe is not an insurmountable obstacle," said Ejup Maqedonci, acting Minister of Defense.
However, although the KSF is ready at any time to become part of the Alliance, improving diplomatic relations is also seen as necessary.
"The government that comes after these elections will have to focus primarily on diplomacy and improving the damage we have suffered in the diplomatic aspect and moving forward towards NATO membership. With Kosovo's membership in NATO, not only Kosovo wins, the region wins, NATO wins too, because the Balkans will be much more stable," said Kadri Kastrati, former commander of the KSF.
Security experts in the country see Kosovo's membership in NATO as a potential opportunity, referring to the completion of the 10-year transition plan that ends in 2028.
"All these attempts by our authorities, but especially by congressmen, are in a way that, before we meet the standards, we can include them for membership or in the preliminary phase for NATO membership," said Nuredin Ibishi, an expert on security issues.
The latest countries to join NATO were Finland and Sweden, bringing the number of member countries to 32.
