Kosovo’s PM sacks interior minister over deportation of Turkish citizens

Kosovo’s PM sacks interior minister over deportation of Turkish citizens
By bne IntelliNews March 31, 2018

Kosovan Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj dismissed the country's interior minister and the head of the intelligence agency on March 30 over the deportation of six Turkish citizens, who were suspected of working for a Gulenist school network.

Cleric Fethullah Gulen was blamed by the Turkish authorities for the failed coup in 2016 against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The suspects were detained by Kosovan law enforcement early on March 29 and were handed over at Pristina airport to a special team deployed by the Turkish National Intelligence Organisation (MIT) for their deportation. On arrival in Istanbul they were detained by the Turkish police.

However, Haradinaj said that the Turkish citizens were deported secretly and without his knowledge.

“Based on constitutional competencies, as prime minister I have requested immediate dismissal of the director of the Kosovo Intelligence Agency, Driton Gashi, and Minister of Internal Affairs, Flamur Sefaj,” Haradinaj said in a government statement. The Kosovan PM did not say who will replace the dismissed officials.

Haradinaj’s actions did not go down well in Ankara, where Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he was “saddened” by the move to dismiss the two officials and said the Kosovan prime minister would “pay” for it, AP reported

“[S]ince when have you begun to protect those who work to stage a coup against the Turkish Republic?” the Turkish president added, according to the newswire. 

Relations between Turkey and Kosovo have historically been good, with Turkey being one of the first states to recognise Kosovo when it unilaterally declared independence from Serbia in 2008. Turkey, which has deepened its engagement in the Western Balkans in recent years, is seen as a supporter of the region’s majority Muslim countries in particular, although it has also become a major investor in other countries such as the region’s largest economy Serbia

However, the deportations sparked an outcry within Pristina, with other top officials backing Haradinaj. Kosovan parliament speaker Kadri Veseli said that the deportations were "wrong" and would never happen again, broadcaster RTK reported on March 30.

"With the support of PM Haradinaj and responsible institutions, we will do what is possible to investigate and clarify the truth about the operation undertaken by Kosovo Intelligence Agency in cooperation with the Kosovo police in relation to the arrest and deportation of six Turkish citizens,” Haradinaj’s chief of staff Avni Arifi said during the meeting with family members of the deported citizens.

Kosovo has been under pressure from Turkey in recent weeks to take action against Gulen movement-funded schools. Following the coup in 2016, the Turkish authorities have put in prison thousands of members of the Gulenist movement and sacked many of them. The European Union has condemned the crackdown.

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