Within the framework of the “Great Student Project” initiated by Turkey in 1992, Kosovo Regional Development Minister and KDTP Chairman Fikrim Damka, who studied at the university in Turkey, talked about the latest tension in the north of Kosovo and the expectations from Turkey to reduce tension, the steps taken to increase defense capacities. and answered the questions of the AA correspondent about his student years. Damka evaluated Kosovo’s stance on armament with the words that “all kinds of arms purchases will be used only for the defense of the country” and said that they wish to purchase Bayraktar SİHA from Turkey. Fikrim Damka said, “The issue of Bayraktar, which is on the agenda of the world, and the issue of SİHAs, of course, is also on our agenda. Our state carries out studies on this every time. Visits were made. Our President and Minister of Defense visited Bayraktars on site. Of course, this is a long-term process. Every state He wants to have SİHAs in his own home, in his own military arsenal.” used the phrases. “Kosovo has no moves that escalate tensions” Referring to the increasing tension in the north of Kosovo in recent days, Damka emphasized that they are doing what is necessary for the citizens in the region to receive services related to daily life, and continued his words as follows: “During this period, Serbia needs to be placed at the dialogue table and a final solution must be reached. “No. We don’t have any attempts to remove the barricades. We can do it, but such attempts may increase tensions even more. Therefore, we act in cooperation with NATO’s Force in Kosovo (KFOR), NATO, the EU and the United States, in order to remove it peacefully. We do.” We are making efforts not to escalate the situation there, but to resolve it by consensus.” Damka also stated that Serbia’s demand for the establishment of the Union of Serbian Municipalities, which has similar rights to autonomy in the north, as a condition for reaching a final peace agreement between the two countries, is unacceptable for Kosovo. Stating that Turkey closely follows the developments with its institutions in the region, Damka continued his words as follows: “All states are on the alert to prevent a possible conflict in the Balkans, especially between Kosovo and Serbia. The Republic of Turkey, which has a say in the Balkans, is also uneasy about this issue. “There is a dialogue carried out by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which is observing the events at all times and is in dialogue with both Kosovo and Serbia. Turkey makes the necessary contributions in this regard. We have Mehmetçi within KFOR. We can see that both the embassy and other institutions are making efforts to establish peace in the north.” “Studying in Turkey has an important contribution to my coming to the ministry” Stating that he took lessons from very valuable professors such as Sabahattin Zaim at the Faculty of Economics of Istanbul University, where he started his student life in Turkey in 1992, Damka mentioned the advantages of being a student in Turkey. Stating that they were the first generation from the former Yugoslavia to go to Turkey for education and that they were in Turkey during the wars in the Balkans, Damka said, “One of the moments I can never forget was the refugees fleeing Bosnia and Herzegovina that I saw at Sirkeci Train Station. Cağaloğlu” “We used to work as translators at the police headquarters in Istanbul. We would translate for our refugee brothers coming from Bosnia and help them in their transactions,” he said. Pointing out that foreign students studying in Turkey act as a bridge in the development of relations between their countries and Turkey, Damka said, “We, the young people who have studied in Turkey, hold tighter ties with the country they studied, regardless of their nationality, whether Turkish, Bosnian, Albanian or whatever. , because I can see that they know that region better, they observe its culture, education level, social, cultural and political balances very well, and they take the lead in how the development there can be carried to Kosovo and other countries.” Fikrim Damka also noted that his university education in Turkey contributed greatly to his appointment as a minister today.