The Deputy Prime Minister of North Macedonia, Izet Mexhiti, calls for the establishment of new Kosovo institutions as soon as possible.
According to him, overcoming the political impasse is in the interest of the state and integration processes, therefore he emphasizes the need to move forward in this direction.
He denies to KosovaPress his involvement in securing votes for the election of Albulena Haxhiu as parliamentary speaker from the ranks of the Vetëvendosje Movement, despite the claims raised by AAK leader Ramush Haradinaj.
The Kosovo Assembly failed for the 35th time to constitute the ninth legislature, even though four months have passed since the parliamentary elections of February 9.
Mexhiti emphasizes to KosovaPress that he does not know the MP from the Gorani community, Adem Hoxha, for whom Haradinaj had stated that Mexhiti had asked him to vote for Haxhiu and Kurti. Meanwhile, regarding the MP from the Bosniak community, Duda Balje, he states that there was no meeting regarding securing her vote for the creation of a parliamentary majority from LVV.
“In the interest of Kosovo, the state and the processes and businesses, I hope that the impasse is overcome as soon as possible and that institutions are constituted and there is movement forward… In North Macedonia, we have a partnership with Mr. Kurti and I have been in politics for a long time. I have friends in all political entities and what has been rumored about the two MPs (Adem Hoxha and Duda Balje) is not true at all. I do not know one of them at all and we have not met, while I follow Ms. Balje who said that we have not had any meetings in this regard. The rest are speculations,” he says.
Mexhiti also talks about interstate relations and emphasizes that relations between the two countries are deepening. He mentions the operationalization of the “One Stop Shop” system at the border points in Blace and Jazhincë.
According to him, this system will soon be applied to Serbia, where citizens from the Presheva Valley, as well as Albania, will also benefit.
“The Republic of North Macedonia, with the first country to implement the “One Stop Shop”, is with Kosovo. At the two border points in Blace and Jazhincë, especially in Blace which is the most frequented point, there is only one control at the entrance and long waits are no longer a problem. The free movement of citizens has been enabled and this has influenced more frequent communication and movement between the citizens of the two countries. These days, the “One Stop Shop” will also be implemented with Serbia, which is important for the Presevo Valley, as well as for Albania”, said Mexhiti.
Mexhit explains that the Government in Skopje has not yet made an official decision that former KLA soldiers, for whom Serbia has issued arrest warrants through Interpol, should not be arrested in North Macedonia.
He adds that the ruling coalition has a political agreement and that a decision will soon be made within the Ministry of Internal Affairs or the executive branch 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, Serbia constantly updates the lists of former KLA soldiers in this security institution, allegedly for “war crimes.” Because of this, in July 2024, in Jazhincë, based on an arrest warrant from Serbia through Interpol, on the allegation of war crimes, former KLA soldier Blerim Ramadani was arrested.
Mexhiti: We have an agreement, former KLA soldiers will not be arrested in North Macedonia
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“This problem is not new, but has been around since the Kosovo war. Serbia, as a member of Interpol, misuses this mechanism by updating the lists to indict war crimes. The new government in Macedonia is facing inherited problems… In principle, we have a political agreement in the government, and only implementation remains. There is no written form, just as many European countries do not have due to their membership in Interpol. There will be a practical and legal solution that avoids such arrests, and this will be implemented soon,” he concludes./KP/