Kosovo premier asks for more NATO troops presence in country

By Beyza Binnur Donmez

ISTANBUL (AA) - Kosovo's Prime Minister Albin Kurti has called for an increased presence of NATO peacekeeping personnel in his country.

Speaking to the German daily Die Welt on Sunday, Kurti said "a massive bolstering of NATO troops and military equipment" in his country "would improve security and peace" not only in Kosovo but in the entire West-Balkan region.

"An increase in the number of soldiers in the NATO-supplied peacekeeping force KFOR would support our efforts in defense," he said, showing the accumulation of Serbian forces on the border and Russia as reasons.

Kosovo currently has nearly 4,000 troops, called the Kosovo Force or KFOR, on the ground and the force has been present in Kosovo since 1999.

Tensions between Kosovo and Serbia have escalated since the Dec. 10, 2022 detention of former Serbian police officer Dejan Pantic on suspicion of attacking election officials.

Protesting Pantic’s arrest, Kosovo Serbs have been standing guard at barricades they set up at border crossings since Dec. 10.

Two new barricades were set up after Kosovar authorities blocked Serbian Patriarch Porfirije from entering the country ahead of Orthodox Christmas celebrations.

Kosovo, predominantly inhabited by Albanians, broke from Serbia in 1999 and declared independence in 2008. But Serbia has not recognized the move and sees its former province as part of its territory.

The EU, NATO, and the US have called for de-escalation and the removal of barricades in northern Kosovo, while Serbia has requested to deploy its army and police based on a UN resolution.