Kosovo Votes to Turn Security Force Into Army

Kosovo's parliament on Friday on a second reading approved three draft laws on the Kosovo Security Force, KSF, expanding its competences and creating a legal base for its transformation into a regular army.

The three draft laws concern one directly on the Kosovo Security Force, KSF, another on a Ministry of Defence and a third on service in the KSF.

Of 120 MPs, 106 supported the draft law on a Ministry of Defence and 105 supported the law on the Kosovo Security Force. The draft law on service in the KSF was backed by 107 votes.

"From this moment, we officially have the army of Kosovo," the speaker of parliament, Kadri Veseli, stated after the voting.

The hard work of #Kosovo's men and women is paid off: as of today, we officially have an Army to serve to all of our citizens. As we celebrate this great achievement, we look ahead to working even harder to join our allies in #NATO family.KSF contributes to a safer Balkans!🇽🇰🇺🇸🇬🇧 pic.twitter.com/0ifY1pG3ga

— Enver Hoxhaj (@Enver_Hoxhaj) December 14, 2018

MPs from the Belgrade-backed Srpska Lista boycotted the session.

During the plenary session when the voting took place, President Hashim Thaci and KSF seniors and members were also present in the assembly.

Veseli started the plenary session with a minute's silence honoring all the generations of the political prisoners, students movements, former members of Kosovo Liberation Army, KLA, and all those who had contributed to Kosovo being able to vote on and form its own army.

Kosovo held its official ceremony tonight on the transition of the Kosovo Security Force, KSF, into a regular army. Photo: BIRN

By adopting laws on changing the KSF's powers, parliament bypassed the need to adopt...