Kosovo Security Force

Türkiye handed over the command of NATO's Kosovo Peacekeeping Force (KFOR) on Oct. 11 to Italy, a year after it assumed the role for the first time.

BELGRADE - NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on Tuesday in Belgrade the so-called Kosovo Security Force had no NATO support to arm itself and that its transition to an army was "ill-timed and ill-advised."

Stoltenberg said this in an exclusive interview to Tanjug, in response to a question why NATO was allowing the so-called KSF to arm itself and buy UAVs.

BRUSSELS - Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Thursday evening that, under UNSCR 1244, Kfor and NATO had no right to support the creation of an army of the so-called Kosovo.

Vucic was speaking to reporters in Brussels after a series of meetings with European officials about the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue.

WASHINGTON - Serbian Ambassador to the US Marko Djuric said on Thursday support to a transformation of the so-called Kosovo Security Force into an army did not contribute to dialogue, defusing of tensions and normalisation of Belgrade-Pristina relations.

Kosovo has recently become the latest country to acquire the Bayraktar TB2, Türkiye's first indigenous armed unmanned aerial vehicle developed by Baykar Technologies.

Kosovo's Prime Minister Albin Kurti announced the procurement of the drones, emphasizing that the investment in defense spending would "contribute to the safety of the nation."

"It's time to send KSF to the north of the country," Azemi wrote on Facebook.
Regarding sending the so-called Kosovo Army to the north of Kosovo, Albin Kurti also spoke today after the Security Council meeting.

KFOR, NATO's peacekeeping force in Kosovo, is ready to step in if stability between Serbia and its former province is at risk.

This was stated by the Secretary General of the alliance, Jens Stoltenberg, BTA reported. He was speaking after a meeting with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic in Brussels. It was about the recent tension between Belgrade and Pristina.

Last week, Kosovo police were attacked several times close to the border with Serbia, where a road used for smuggling contraband goods was recently closed.

Belgrade officials have rejected Pristina's claims that the attacks came from Serbian territory, while the European Union has warned against "unnecessary speculation that may add to further tensions".

The Kosovo Security Force announced that it will be part of the international exercise "KFOR 30", at the invitation of the USA, with the contingent of the company of the National Demining Guard.
The exercise will take place at the U.S. military base Hohenfels in Germany, which started today and will last until February 28, reports Clan Kosova.

With Europe and the United States increasingly concerned over a buildup of Russian troops near the border with Ukraine, some Balkan countries are already offering their services in any potential US-led response to a possible Russian invasion.