Thewesternbalkans
The Commander of the NATO mission in Kosovo, KFOR, Major General Özkan Utulaș, met on May 29 with the Chief of General Staff of the Armed Forces of Serbia, Milan Mojsilović in Kopaonik, Serbia.
The announcement issued by KFOR states that they shared views on the general security situation and its impact on regional stability, as well as on cooperation activities, including synchronized patrols along the border line.
The meeting was part of Major General Utulaș’s regular interactions with his key military counterparts, according to the announcement.
The Ministry of Defense of Serbia said that the meeting was held at the invitation of Mojsilović and that it was discussed the current security situation in Kosovo and the cooperation so far.
According to the statement from the Serbian Ministry of Defense, Mojsilović has asked the commander of KFOR that the international forces act professionally and impartially, and promptly prevent any attempt to endanger the Serbian population.
Comment: Despite the announcement that the meeting in Kopaonik was а regular one, it should be noted that it takes place exactly one year after the tensions on May 29, 2023, when dozens of KFOR members were injured during clashes in Serb protests against Albanian mayors in the four municipalities with ethnic Serb majority in northern Kosovo.
A year after the violence in Zveçan, those involved in the attacks on the members of KFOR mission have not brought to justice.
After the tensions culminated on September 24, 2023, when an armed group of Serbs attacked the Kosovo police in the village of Banjska, near Zveçan, killing policeman, KFOR has increased its military presence in Kosovo and now has around 4 700 soldiers.
