The national mourning day officially announced in Belgrade for the members of the armed group that were gunned down by the security forces of the Republic of Kosovo, after that group killed a police officer on duty, is the worst signal that Serbia can give to the region and the Euro-Atlantic community! Instead of launching an in-depth investigation into the members of that criminal group, their ties with arm traffickers, other individuals or entities in Serbia or elsewhere, potentially engaged in inciting an armed movement in the North of Kosovo, Belgrade, by declaring this day of mourning, demonstrated it has nothing to do with the 21st century, but is instead fanning the flames of an armed conflict like never before since 1999.

This is not only unjustifiable and unacceptable, but also condemnable with all the power of words and instruments available to the Euro-Atlantic community.

This is the time when Serbia must make up its mind clearly and decisively whether it will side with Europe and the democratic world of the 21st century or with the shadow of itself at the end of the 20th century; with the values and principles of the European Union and the Euro-Atlantic community or with the phantoms and crimes of its inglorious past of the ‘90s; with the European tomorrow of its innocent children or with the guilty yesterday of murderous and suicidal nationalism!

This is the time when the European Union and the United States must clearly and decisively make up their mind whether they will raise the democratic alarm to the highest level in order to curb the escalation of the conflict in the North of Kosovo, which has entered the most dangerous phase since 1999, or whether they continue to keep the Normalization Dialogue and the KFOR commitment at the same level, which is totally insufficient now. The second today is completely unwise, but tomorrow it may become completely unjustifiable, because tomorrow may be too late for the first! Therefore, Albania’s appeal to the great friends and strategic allies in the Western Balkans is: Don’t leave today’s action for tomorrow.

This is also the time for Kosovo to very seriously reflect and make up its mind clearly, whether it will continue on the course of action disconnected from its irreplaceable friends and its unwavering allies or will act in harmony and understanding with the Euro-Atlantic community, to achieve the major goal in history for the final recognition as a member state of this community after winning the war and the proclamation of independence. All other avenues except the second one are paths of illusions with painful endings, which steer Kosovo away from its main goal, cause the spirit of the future to drain away and senselessly turn it into hostage to peace in the middle of Europe after it has emerged victorious from the war to become a free European country.