Traveling through North Macedonia resulted in Fadil Pushkolli being questioned by the country’s security authorities.
However, Pushkolli is not the only Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) veteran to have been detained by North Macedonian police.
In July 2024, Blerim Ramadani, a former KLA fighter, was detained at the Jazhincë border crossing and later escaped from house arrest in Skopje.
According to former Kosovo Security Force (KSF) commander Kadri Kastrati, such arrests have raised concerns about the safety of traveling through North Macedonia.
“I personally contacted several friends who live there, including former parliamentary speaker Mr. Xhaferi and others, and I asked them whether there was a risk in traveling through North Macedonia. They advised me not to travel through there, meaning that the risk exists,” Kastrati said.
The Organization of KLA War Veterans has also called on former comrades to exercise greater caution when traveling through the neighboring country.
“We also call on our comrades, especially, not to travel through Serbia. As for the current problems in Macedonia, we have also had an issue in Croatia and Montenegro. With the exception of Croatia, where Serbia has influence, we need to be careful and avoid unnecessary travel because these routes are not safe,” said Fatmir Sopi.
Former military official Kadri Kastrati has called for Kosovo’s institutions to intervene.
“The Government of the Republic of Kosovo, the prime minister, the foreign minister and the interior minister should contact their counterparts in the Republic of North Macedonia to determine whether Serbia has provided North Macedonia with an internal list and whether these people are included not in Interpol, but in the neighboring country’s internal database. But our government is asleep,” Kastrati said.
The Organization of KLA War Veterans shares the same view.
“It is the duty of our institutions to ensure freedom of movement. This falls within the responsibilities of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Internal Affairs, which should coordinate with friendly states and countries that have recognized us, so that citizens can travel freely. Otherwise, there is little we can do individually,” Sopi said.
Former KLA veteran Fadil Pushkolli was released immediately after being questioned by North Macedonian authorities.
