Stoltenberg: NATO reinforcement troops on the way to Kosovo

NEWS 01.06.202313:26
Kosovo, Kfor
Tanjug/AP Photo/Bojan Slavkovic

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Thursday said that the reinforcement troops are on their way to Kosovo but that this does not mean giving up on a political solution to the conflict.

During a two-day NATO foreign ministers’ meeting in Oslo Stoltenberg reiterated that violence against the peacekeeping KFOR troops in totally unacceptable, Reuters reported.

“NATO will remain vigilant. We will be there to ensure a safe and secure environment, and also to calm down and reduce tensions,” the Alliance chief said when asked why reinforcement is being sent to Kosovo.

Stoltenberg said two days ago that the Alliance would deploy additional 700 troops to Kosovo to quell the violence in the north, and put an additional battalion of reserve forces on high alertness so they can also be deployed if needed.

NATO decided on these steps so as to ensure that KFOR has the forces and capabilities it needs to fulfill its mandate, said Stolternberg.

He strongly condemned the “unprovoked attacks against KFOR troops in northern Kosovo, which led to 30 peacekeepers being wounded,” adding that “violence sets back Kosovo and the entire region, and puts Euro-Atlantic aspirations at risk.”