Oct 3, 2024 — NATO’s Kosovo peacekeeping commander, Ozkan Ulutash, met Serbia’s military chief, Milan Mojsilovi?, in Belgrade on Wednesday to discuss security concerns in Kosovo and the wider region. The talks come amid increased tensions following a crackdown by Kosovar authorities on Serbian-controlled institutions in the country’s north.
KFOR, the NATO force in Kosovo, said the two leaders exchanged views on the current security situation, with both stressing the need for ongoing dialogue to maintain stability. “They underlined the importance of open communication to strengthen security in the region,” a KFOR statement said.
The meeting is part of regular consultations between NATO forces and military counterparts in the region. However, it comes at a sensitive time, with Serbia criticising Kosovo’s actions as provocative and destabilising. Serbia claims the closure of the institutions is an attempt to change the ethnic balance in the Serb-majority north, while Kosovo insists they were illegal and unconstitutional.
Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008, a move that Belgrade has never recognised. Tensions between the two remain high, and the international community has expressed concern, urging restraint after Kosovo was accused of taking “unilateral” actions in the north.
KFOR, tasked with maintaining security, also oversees Kosovo’s border with Serbia, which remains disputed. Ulutash’s meeting with Mojsilovi? included discussions on further cooperation between KFOR and the Serbian military.
Ulutash is set to hand over command of KFOR next week to Italian general Enrico Barduani. His final weeks in charge saw KFOR and the Serbian military conduct a joint patrol near the Kosovo-Serbia border, an effort to ease tensions in the area. (Tir-Fax)
