Expert:  Now Is the Right Time for Kosovo to Join EU, NATO

Pristina (BETA/Andrija Igic)

Janusz Bugajski, a Balkan expert at the Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA) in Washington, said on March 4 that with the situation in Ukraine now was the right time for Kosovo to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the European Union (EU).

Bugajski said in an interview with Kosovo’s RTK public broadcasting service that the current situation in Ukraine and the danger it posed to other states had created a good opportunity for Kosovo to enter   international bodies and become a safer county.

“Now is the right time for Kosovo to join NATO, the European Union, the Council of Europe, or any institution that can strengthen its security. I believe it’s time for everyone to support Kosovo. Turkey and Croatia have already supported Kosovo’s accession to these mechanisms. It is the right time to see what Kosovo is doing to expand its membership in Euro-Atlantic institutions,” Bugajski said.

The CEPA senior fellow said that “what is going on in Ukraine has placed the Kremlin in the same category as terrorist organizations like Al-Qaeda, which are engaged in places where civilians are killed and property like schools and hospitals is destroyed.” Bugajski expects things to further deteriorate, because Russian President Vladimir Putin had promised to take control of Ukraine "and even destroy it.”