The member of the British Parliament and the chairperson of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Alicia Kearns has stated that the British government has information regarding the smuggling of weapons by ambulances from Serbia, to Orthodox churches in Kosova. The media in Kosova report that Kearns said that this is one of the reasons why the security situation is serious.

Kearns called for an export freeze to Serbia, while calling on the government to clarify its position of the UK standing by Kosova’s territorial sovereignty and democracy.

“That is why the security situation is so serious. For a long time we have failed to highlight the armed Serbian militias operating in the north of Kosova. The government is aware, from soldiers who have just returned from serving in KFOR, that there are weapons being smuggled across the border from Serbia to Orthodox churches in ambulances. When our troops become aware of this and try to get permission to go and get them, the permission takes a long time. By the time they get permission, the ambulance has already gone to the church and pulled out all the guns again. I will briefly touch on our export policies towards Serbia. I am very concerned about the fact that we are selling small munitions to Serbia. Given that the anti-terrorist police there have carried out attacks and kidnapped three Kosovan police officers, how do we know that nothing we have sold to Serbia is used in that context? I demand that a curb be put on all export sales to Serbia. I call on the Government to make it clear that the United Kingdom stands by Kosovo’s territorial sovereignty and democracy. To do this, we need to expand KFOR’s mandate to ensure a more proactive approach to combat arms smuggling and militias in northern Kosova. We must ensure Justice and take the necessary actions to operate a meaningful policy of preventive diplomacy,” Kearns stated.

The latter has further stated that although Kosova has been asked to follow the path of membership in the European Union and NATO, it is being punished, adding that the same thing is not happening with Serbia.

She emphasized that what is currently happening in KosovA is the result of Belgrade’s external interference in KosovA’s internal elections, as Belgrade told Kosova Serbs not to participate in the elections.

In this regard, KFOR reacted after the statements of the British MP, about the smuggling of weapons from Serbia to Kosova.

According to KFOR, the statements of the British MP refer to the year 2022, when the Royal Fusilier Battalion was employed in the north of Kosova in the KFOR mission, and that from the investigations “no evidence has emerged from what has been reported”.

From this mission it is emphasized that “this type of activity belongs to the rule of law, which is under the responsibility of the security organizations of Kosova”.

“The illegal presence of weapons was reported to the KFOR offices, but after additional investigations to confirm this, no evidence of what was reported came out. There is no evidence either of the alleged smuggling carried out across the administrative border line between Kosova and Serbia in Orthodox churches in ambulances. For complete information, this type of activity belongs to the rule of law, which is under the responsibility of Kosova’s security organizations”, says KFOR’s reaction.

/a.p./