The President of the Republic of Kosovo, Hashim Thaçi, held today a press conference in which he talked about the security situation and the overall political developments in the country.
Speaking about the deportation of the six Turkish citizens to Turkey, the President of Kosovo, Hashim Thaçi has stressed that the dividing lines between issues which are a treatment of national security and the protection of human rights and freedoms are a permanent problem of the most democratic states in the world as well.
“Kosovo can not be an exception in this regard, because terrorist and espionage activities in our country, as in other democratic countries, are done in the most sophisticated forms possible”, added the President.
He also stressed that the security situation in the Republic of Kosovo is calm, stable, and as we are on the eve of the Easter holiday, all the necessary measures have been taken for this celebration to pass without any incident, without any problem and no indication of any threat will function in the Republic of Kosovo.
This is the full statement of President Thaçi:
What I want to emphasize from the outset is that the security situation in the Republic of Kosovo is calm, stable. As we are on the eve of the Easter Holiday, we have taken all the necessary measures for this celebration to pass without any incident, without any problems and no indication of any threat will function in the Republic of Kosovo.
Kosovo is a democratic state, built in accordance with the highest democratic standards which, above everything else, respect the individual rights of every person regardless of ethnicity, belief or political or ideological beliefs. This principle enshrined in the Constitution and our laws remains inalienable and it is the duty of our state institutions to apply it in practice.
As the President of the Republic of Kosovo, I am disappointed and express my deep regret because our relevant institutions, for reasons that remain to be clarified to the end, seem to have failed to defend these principles that relate to the human rights of foreign citizens who live and work in our country.
I am informed and I am still receiving additional explanations from the competent authorities regarding the case and the circumstances in which the deportation of six Turkish citizens to Turkey was carried out.
So far I have received a detailed report which has also been heard by the President of the Assembly, the Prime Minister, the Foreign Minister and other stakeholders of the institutions of the Republic of Kosovo and other leaders in my Office in the presence of international partners.
Thus, we have received a detailed report from the Kosovo Intelligence Agency which in detail explains the reasons and procedures that have led to the request of the KIA addressed to the competent Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs for the cancellation of the residence permit, respectively the request for deportation.
According to this report, the only reason why these Turkish citizens have been deported is related to their illegal actions in Kosovo, which, always according to the KIA, have jeopardized Kosovo’s national security.
So, the only reason for deportation according to the KIA, is the endangerment of the national security, and I re-emphasize, always according to the KIA.
According to the KIA, there were same cases of deportation of foreign citizens who have been involved in activities aiming national security in the past as well, of course respecting the procedures in force.
But the details and procedures must be clarified by the KIA and the Ministry of Internal Affairs until the end, and in case there have been violations then those responsible must give responsibility, whoever it is.
As we are talking here, I am informed that state investigative bodies are treating this case and we must wait for their conclusion.
In addition, I am also informed that the Ombudsperson has started independent investigations and must wait for the conclusions to be drawn.
Until all these investigations do not end, we must be careful about how we behave in relation to the bodies that are responsible for our national security.
The dividing lines between issues which are a treatment of national security and protection of human rights and freedoms are a permanent problem of the most democratic countries in the world as well.
Kosovo can not be an exception in this regard, because terrorist and espionage activities in our country, as in other democratic countries, are done in the most sophisticated forms possible.
I do not say this to justify any illegal acts of bodies which guard the national security of Kosovo, but to clarify how difficult the fight against terrorism, fundamentalism, and the prevention of espionage activities in our country is.
What has happened is an isolated case and can not be used by anyone to accuse Kosovo of disrespecting international conventions on human rights protection, but we will never allow it to be repeated.
I expect that the investigations by the competent authorities to shed light on this case and I invite the Parliamentary Committee on the Oversight of the KIA to urgently clarify this case to the end.
There should definitely be accountability to prove in case there has been violation of applicable laws and procedures.
But we must ensure that our national security is a priority above priorities.
Under no circumstances at the expense of disrespect of human rights in accordance with international conventions.
I want to assure the citizens of the Republic of Kosovo, and all the foreign citizens who live and work in Kosovo, that Kosovo will defend its constitutional values at any cost and which above everything else ensure that every individual expresses without fear the identity, belief, culture, ideology, thought, and free speech.
No one dares to be persecuted, censored or deported because of a belief or ideology different from someone else.