2023-09-30 10:14:00
The NATO Council authorized the deployment of additional forces to Kosovo as part of the alliance-led KFOR peacekeeping mission to stabilize the conflict with Serbia, which has escalated. The document does not specify exactly how many people and from which countries will be sent to Kosovo.
The British Ministry of Defense has already announced that it has allocated one battalion at the disposal of NATO forces in Kosovo, which, according to France Press, numbers between 500 and 650 soldiers.
Stoltenberg called on the parties to the conflict to make efforts to reduce tensions and engage in dialogue under the auspices of the EU, as this is “the only way to resolve unresolved issues” and “the key to lasting security in Kosovo and stability in the region.”
US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, in a telephone conversation with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, also stated the need for “immediate de-escalation and a return to dialogue.”
At the same time, Washington appealed to Belgrade to withdraw its troops from the border with Kosovo. US National Security Council official John Kirby noted Serbia’s “unprecedented deployment of advanced artillery, tanks and mechanized infantry units” on the border with Kosovo. US President’s National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan expressed concern over the deployment of Serbian troops near the border with Kosovo in a telephone conversation with Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti.
The situation in the north of Kosovo became more complicated over the past weekend. Kosovo authorities said that police engaged in a battle with 30 armed Serbs who stormed the Kosovar village of Banska on the night of September 24 and barricaded themselves in a Serbian Orthodox monastery. A shootout with the police ensued, in which several people, including a policeman, were killed. Tensions between Belgrade and Pristina have often escalated since early 2023. Heavy clashes broke out in northern Kosovo in May, after which Belgrade increased its military presence on the border between the countries. While 90% of Kosovo’s population is ethnic Albanian, the northern part of the country is predominantly ethnic Serb. Kosovo declared independence in 2008, but Belgrade did not recognize it and has since encouraged the Serbian population to oppose Kosovo’s central government.
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