TIRANA, Nov 30, 2024 – Albanian Prime Minister, Edi Rama, has strongly condemned the explosion that occurred on Friday night in the village of Varagë, located in the Zubin Potok municipality in northern Kosovo. The blast targeted the Ibër-Lepenc water canal, a critical piece of infrastructure supplying water to Kosovo’s power plants.
In a statement posted on social media platform “X,” Rama called the explosion an act of sabotage on critical infrastructure that endangers the lives of Kosovo’s citizens. He urged for a swift investigation and punishment of those responsible, calling for international support in bringing the perpetrators to justice.
Rama further emphasized the negative impact of the attack on the normalization process between Kosovo and its neighbors, particularly Serbia. He highlighted that such criminal acts threaten both regional stability and Kosovo’s EU integration path.
“The sabotage of the Ibër-Lepenc canal is a serious crime that undermines the safety of Kosovo’s citizens and hinders the regional normalization process, which involves all countries on the EU integration path. This criminal attack must be fully investigated and punished, with the support of our international partners,” Rama stated.
He also called on the European Union to lift the remaining sanctions on Kosovo and urged a new approach to the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia. Rama argued that the existing format of dialogue had failed to deliver the expected results and that bilateral relations between the EU and Kosovo or Serbia should take precedence.
“The European Union must immediately lift the remaining sanctions on Kosovo and re-engage in a new format of dialogue for normalization between Kosovo and Serbia. The current dialogue format has failed, and it is time for bilateral relations to shape the European future of both countries, independently of each other’s desires or objections,” Rama added.
