PRISTINA, Kosovo (AP) — Kosovo's president asked parliament on Tuesday to transform the country's lightly armed security forces into a regular army, a move likely to anger Serbia.

Hashim Thaci submitted a draft law saying that "the transformation of Kosovo Security Force (KSF) into an army is a normal step of a sovereign and independent state."

"Such a legal initiative ... aims at protecting territorial sovereignty and integrity, preserving peace and defending the Republic of Kosovo's interests and also contributes in building up and protecting regional and global peace and stability," Thaci said in a statement.

The president regretted that the ethnic Serb minority has opposed the draft based on a stand "known to originate from Serbia."

"Kosovo cannot let its fate to the pity of no one," the president said.

Over the past few months, relations between Kosovo and Serbia have been tense following a series of frictions and incidents. Kosovo declared independence in 2008 and the move has been recognized by 114 countries but not by Belgrade.

The KSF, created in 2009, has about 4,000 regular and 2,500 reserve forces. The plan is to increase regular forces to 5,000 and reserves to 3,000.

Thaci also said international military forces deployed in Kosovo since 1999 will remain.

Last month, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg and Supreme Allied Commander for Europe, Gen. Curtis Scaparrotti, in separate visits to the country assured Kosovo that the military alliance will maintain troops in the Balkan country "for as long as it's necessary."

About 4,500 troops from 31 countries have been deployed in Kosovo since June 1999, after NATO's 78-day air campaign to stop a bloody Serbian crackdown against ethnic Albanian separatists.

"Kosovo is finally creating its army," Thaci said. "Such a legal natural transformation is fully constitutional and necessary so that the KSF formally starts the process of NATO membership."

Llazar Semini in Tirana, Albania, contributed to this story.