The MEFA of Albania is very concerned about the escalation of the situation in the north of the Republic of Kosovo and condemns in the strongest terms the vandal acts perpetrated today in the north of Kosovo, where individuals put fire to the offices of vehicle registration in Zubin Potok and damaged a similar office in Zvecan. Nothing can justify the use of violence, the damage of public property and lack of respect for the rule of law. The MEFA calls for the perpetrators to be brought before justice.

Albania is particularly concerned by reports of Serbian military forces sent near the border with Kosovo, and military aircrafts flying near and over Kosovo's airspace provoke tensions, which incite individuals to provoke unrest and violence and aim to destabilize Kosovo. Such acts run against international agreements aiming to ensure safety and stability in that part of the region.

We call on Serbia to withdraw their armed forces dispatched near the borders of Kosovo and work for immediate de-escalation. We urge all actors to exercise restraint and return immediately to dialogue as the only way to move ahead to solve pending issues in the spirit of cooperation to which Albania is irreversibly committed, in its bilateral and multilateral efforts.

As a NATO Ally and a responsible member of the United Nations, Albania will do whatever is needed to support all efforts toward immediate de-escalation and return to dialogue.