"We have reached an agreement" - Deputy Prime Minister of North Macedonia, Mejhit: Former KLA soldiers will no longer be detained at the border

Serbia's arrest warrants against former KLA soldiers will no longer be enforced by North Macedonia's border police, according to the country's Deputy Prime Minister, Izet Mexhiti.

A political agreement, he said, has been reached in the Macedonian government. He says they will soon make a decision "to implement a systemic, legal and permanent solution so that former KLA soldiers are not detained at the borders of North Macedonia."

Because Kosovo is not a member of Interpol – the largest global police organization – Serbia constantly updates lists with the names of former KLA soldiers in this security institution, allegedly for “war crimes”.

Because of this, in July 2024, at the Jazhincë border crossing point, based on an arrest warrant issued by the Belgrade Court, through INTERPOL and with the allegation of war crimes in 1999 in Kosovo, former KLA soldier Blerim Ramdani was arrested.

However, the Deputy Prime Minister of North Macedonia, Izet Mexhiti, in an interview with KosovaPress, says that former KLA soldiers will be able to move freely in North Macedonia, despite the issuance of an arrest warrant by Serbia to Interpol.

He states that they have a political agreement in the government cabinet and that a decision will be made very soon "according to the Croatian or Slovenian model to resolve this issue permanently."

"One of the issues that remains from the past is the arrest of former soldiers of the Kosovo Liberation Army. Since Serbia is a member of Interpol and Kosovo is not, it constantly updates the lists of soldiers, and this then poses a problem. This problem has not been solved for 20 years by the previous governments or the previous Albanian parties. Now I can say exclusively for you that we have a political agreement in the government. We have a political agreement that this will be solved in a systematic way with the Croatian, Slovenian and European models.

And this will happen very soon, we are just seeing which model to apply, and this will be a systemic, legal and permanent solution, for soldiers to move freely in Macedonia, just as they move in European countries. We have a political agreement. We must make the solution either within the framework of the Ministry of Internal Affairs or within the framework of the government, just as Croatia and Slovenia have solved it. And we have a political agreement that this will apply within the framework of this government, concluding this issue in a systemic way. For soldiers to move freely in Macedonia, just as they move everywhere in Europe", he emphasizes.

Mexhiti, in an interview for KosovaPress, says that "North Macedonia and Kosovo have broken an international prejudice" that they are distant from each other. According to him, the two countries are very good partners and that cooperation "is only deepening, both economically and politically."

He mentions the joint meeting of the two governments in November 2024 in Pristina, while saying that the long queues at the border points will end with the joint border point that will become operational, according to him, in early April.

Speaking about the construction of the Tetovo-Prizren road, he states that the procedure for the construction of the six-kilometer tunnel will be announced in the coming days.

In this regard, one of the first agreements to be implemented is the creation of the "One Stop Shop" system on the Bllaca and Jashinca border. This will be the first model of North Macedonia with a state that is identical to Kosovo-Albania, which will significantly facilitate the movement of people and goods. I think that by the end of this month or early April it will be put into use. It remains to be rounded up and these days it will be put into testing and I believe that April will find Jashinca and Bllaca, it will be a significant facilitator in this regard", adds Mexhiti.

Speaking about the Law on Languages ​​in North Macedonia, Mexhiti says that the Albanian language will receive its deserved status as an official language.

According to him, it will never be violated and they will be the guarantors of its protection.

The Law on the Use of Languages ​​obliges state institutions in North Macedonia to allow the official use of languages ​​spoken by at least 20% of the country's citizens. This includes the Albanian language, which is mentioned as the language of a significant part of the population and is defined in the first article of this law.

This law is under review by the Constitutional Court of North Macedonia and there has not yet been a decision on such a matter.

Political reactions have been caused in Skopje after the decision to review this law, writes KosovaPress.

The Democratic Union for Integration (BDI) in the opposition has warned that in this way the rights of Albanians in North Macedonia and the Ohrid Agreement may be violated.

DUI has called the law a symbol of the Ohrid Agreement, saying that linguistic equality is based on it.

"The Law on Languages ​​has advanced the official use of the Albanian language, but it is still far from being fully official, as is Serbian in Kosovo. Even though Serbs are only 3% of the population there, Serbian is officially used in Drenica, even where there are no Serbs. It is used at the local and central levels. Meanwhile, the Law on Languages, not the Albanian language, in Macedonia has brought about a significant advancement in the official use of the Albanian language, but it is still far from being fully used. The partial use that the Law on Languages ​​foresees leaves a lot of room for interpretations as to whether it should be used here or not there.

However, we adhere to the American principle that even a law that is not perfect, as long as it is in force, must be respected. We have advanced this issue and are a guarantee that we will maintain this position of the Albanian language. However, this government has the democratic and political capacity to open these issues and there are no taboo topics. One of the topics that we have opened is not to maintain this level, but for the Albanian language to receive the deserved status. In the Constitution of Macedonia, it should not appear as a language spoken by 20 percent of the population, but should be stated as the Albanian language, as an official language," says Mexhiti.

Days ago, the Democratic Union for Integration reacted to the recent decisions of the president of North Macedonia regarding changes in the command structures of the army there.

According to Ali Ahmeti's party, "the exclusion of Albanian military leaders from key positions undermines the basic principles of the Ohrid peace agreement," KosovaPress reported.

These principles, as the DUI has said, are essential for a cohesive and effective military force.

"In light of these developments, DUI urgently calls on NATO and our international allies to carefully review these actions, which not only violate the principles of fair representation, but also compromise the operational readiness and security of our armed forces," DUI said in a public response a week ago.

Regarding the criticism of the Albanian opposition in North Macedonia that there are fewer Albanians in institutions under the VMRO and VLEN government, he says that this is not true.

Mexhiti: For the first time there is a real advancement of Albanians in state and military institutions in North Macedonia

"We are not in government for numbers, but to represent Albanians in Macedonia. We are concluding the issue of KLA soldiers, we are concluding the issue of the balancer and adequate representation of Albanians in the administration. We have the courage and arguments to protect and advance the Albanian language, as well as other important issues for Albanians."

Of the three key positions in the state – the prime minister, the speaker of the parliament and the president – ​​one of them is represented by Albanians. In the government we have 6 Albanian ministers, deputy ministers and other important officials. Historically, in Macedonia there have been only two Albanian generals. For the first time in history, we now have three Albanian generals. The last appointed general is a professional who has passed all NATO training and is supported by the international factor. So, for the first time we have a real advancement of Albanians in state and military institutions”, emphasizes Mexhiti.

On the other hand, the Deputy Prime Minister of North Macedonia also speaks to KosovaPress about the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue and regional processes.

He says that for the VALEN coalition, which is in the Macedonian government, the "Open Balkans" initiative is "dead" and that the Macedonian executive sees only the Berlin Process as a perspective - as an opportunity for cooperation between the six Western Balkan countries.

"We need to see these in a broader context, as we cannot see them as isolated issues. In any circumstances and at any moment, we need to see them for better positioning and for better solutions in the interest of Kosovo and Albanians. [Mutual recognition] definitely, anything else would not be something that produces stability and perspective for the Balkans," he says.

Speaking about the role of US President Donald Trump in the Western Balkans, he says that Albanians in the region should be closer to his policies, since as he says, the US has consistently been in support of Albanians.