The acting Minister of Internal Affairs, Xhelal Sveçla, stated that he has signed the establishment of a working group which, according to him, will analyze and propose modalities for the functioning of the Gendarmerie of the Republic of Kosovo as an agency within the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
“The Gendarmerie of the Republic of Kosovo is becoming a reality,” Sveçla wrote on Facebook while presenting this initiative.
“The Gendarmerie represents an important step in strengthening our security architecture, with a clear mission to ensure a strong state presence in safeguarding borders, territorial integrity and sovereignty, protection against terrorism, management of high-risk public disturbances, and protection of critical infrastructure. The Gendarmerie of the Republic of Kosovo will significantly strengthen the state’s capacity for prevention, management, and neutralization of threats that endanger the safety of citizens and the territorial integrity of our country,” he wrote.
The creation of the gendarmerie was announced by acting Prime Minister Albin Kurti last night.
“In the next mandate, we will establish the gendarmerie, which will deal with crime and corruption, especially in border areas, will protect the border, and will fight terrorism,” Kurti said on KTV.
When asked whether it would be part of the police, Kurti confirmed this, adding: “The gendarmerie is something between the police and the army. As an entity, it is something more than police and less than an army. It is a special structure.”
He was further asked how this would function in the northern border area where the Kosovo Security Force (KSF) is not allowed to operate.
In response, he said that “the time will come for that issue as well,” pledging that this would be implemented in coordination with NATO.
