Top NATO officials on Friday expressed concern and warned of possible negative consequences of Pristina’s decision to start the process of forming a military force.

Alliance Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg voiced regret over the adopting of laws by the Kosovo parliament which are intended to transform the Kosovo Security Forces (KSF) into armed forces despite NATO’s concern and added that the time is not right for that step.

He called all political players to show restraint and Pristina and Belgrade to continue their dialogue under European Union auspices. “Although the transition of the security forces is in principle a question that Kosovo decides, we said clearly that the moment is not good for that step,” Stoltenberg said in a statement.

The statement added that NATO supports the development of the KSF in line with its current mandate but that the change of mandate means that the Alliance will have to review the level of its engagement with the KSF.

“NATO will remain committed to securing a safe environment in Kosovo through KFOR as well as stability in the Western Balkans,” the statement said and warned that both sides have to make sure that the decision does not lead to further tensions in the region.

Stoltenberg’s deputy SG Rose Gottemoeller told a news conference in the Albanian capital Tirana that the transformation of the KSF into a military formation could negatively affect Kosovo’s integration into NATO.

Speaking after a meeting with Albanian Foreign Minister Ditmir Bushati, she said that NATO supports the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue as the only way to establish peace and stability in the region.

She called the Albanian authorities to support the dialogue and encourage Belgrade and Pristina to remain calm and show restraint.