In extreme circumstances in terms of security, when territorial security is put at risk, the head of state often signs to mobilize the people in defense of the country.
Governments of many countries in the world have passed laws according to which men between the ages of 18 and 60 can be called up to serve in the military.
But the state of Kosovo cannot do such an action. This is because our country does not yet have a mobilization law.
Looking at the security situation, the presence of such a law is considered of particular importance.
“I wanted to be treated as a priority. We are seeing that we may have repeat terrorist attacks. Maybe even bigger than last year. Then what should happen for the next day, what should be done. They have developed the police and the units according to the needs, but much more should be done to mobilize the population, either in the military or civil aspect”, said Rrahman Sylejmani – retired colonel.
Sylejmani estimates that in case of need, the number of Kosovo troops on standby is not sufficient.
However, he does not see a readiness of the institutions to move in this direction.
“It must be treated urgently. It should be a strategic aspect and find the will of the opposition and the position to speed it up as a process. If we look at the regular procedure, it will remain for years. For years we have had draft laws that remain without approval or discussion, and without a decree at the end. It should be prioritized, but until now there is no cooperation in the strategic aspect, but maybe in this, yes”, said Sylejmani.
The absence of this law is estimated to have left a gap in the security of the country and its citizens.
“It was desirable that it should be voted on in the Assembly, because the context of the action in case of protection of the territorial integrity by the citizens of the Republic of Kosovo would be clarified, because for now, every citizen takes such actions in defense of the country. It violates the norms, because there is no law to help the country’s police and military forces”, said Drizan Shala – an expert on security issues.
Regarding the issue, the Ministry of Defense says that they are in the process of implementing a comprehensive response plan.
“The main idea is that at the same time as the Kosovo Security Force will continue to develop according to the stages of the comprehensive transition plan into a professional, multi-ethnic force, interoperable with NATO, capable of carrying out the territorial defense mission, we as Defense Minister, we will also focus our efforts on rapidly developing a whole-of-government approach to comprehensive defence. So this concept constitutes a national response plan of the entire society in case of emergency, when there is a need for emergency protective measures. In this case, the role of the Ministry of Defense as a coordinating body ensures that the state is able to operate in the conditions of a military threat – to quickly restructure activities, mobilize the necessary resources for protection and the continuation of the performance of the state’s vital functions. The concept constitutes one of the Minister’s priorities for 2024, while we are currently in the drafting phase of the concept,” says the response of the Ministry of Defense.
From this, the minister said that due to the sensitivity of the matter, they cannot provide more information. /Dukagini/
