Skopje, 24 September 2023 (MIA) - First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Political System and Inter-Community Relations, Artan Grubi and Foreign Minister Bujar Osmani condemned on Sunday the killing of a policeman in the north of Kosovo and expressed their condolences to the grieving family, appealing for finding perpetrators promptly and stabilizing the situation.

Grubi underscored that the attack and killing of the Kosovo policeman was “an attempt to provoke a crisis and conflict with implications for the peace, stability and security of our region.”

“The planned destabilizing events in north of Kosovo towards the police, the state, and the region are unacceptable. I strongly condemn the attack on the Kosovo police in which policeman Afrim Bunjaku was killed and others were wounded in the north of Kosovo. I appeal for vigilance and maturity, immediate arrest of the murderers, stabilization of the situation, determination to restore law and order and close coordination with the international community. My sincere condolences to the Bunjaku family and I wish the wounded a speedy recovery,” Grubi said.

In a Facebook post, FM Osmani condemned the attack and called for “the act of violence to be thoroughly investigated and prosecuted.”

“I condemn in the strongest terms the killing of a police officer on duty in the north of the Republic of Kosovo. My condolences to the family and friends of the killed officer, and best wishes for a speedy recovery to those injured. The act of violence to be thoroughly investigated and prosecuted. Kosovo's stability and security will not be disrupted by acts of violence. The safety of the citizens is above all,” Osmani wrote on Facebook.

Due to the incident in Kosovo, the announced press conference scheduled for Saturday afternoon was cancelled by the three leaders of the Albanian opposition, Izet Mexhiti, Biljal Kasami and Afrim Gashi.

One policeman was killed and another wounded early Sunday during an armed attack by masked persons in the village of Banjska, Leposavikj, in north Kosovo, MIA’s Prishtina correspondent reported.

Kosovo’s Prime Minister Albin Kurti said on his Facebook page that around 3:00 am Sunday, the Kosovo police were attacked in Banjska, and as a result of the attack, police sergeant A.B. was killed, while another policeman was wounded.

Photo: MIA archive