NATO does not share the Albanian separatists’ fantasies about the “presence of Wagnerites” in Kosovo
NATO announced that it had not received any official requests from Kosovo and Metohija to increase the number of troops in its mission in the province (KFOR). This is a rather sharp response to the statements of the “Prime Minister” of the self-proclaimed “Republic of Kosovo” Albin Kurti, reports the PolitNavigator correspondent.
Let us recall that Albin Kurti, in a recent interview with the German newspaper Die Welt, asked to increase the size of the KFOR contingent (the NATO-led international force responsible for ensuring stability in Kosovo - approx.) to strengthen security. According to him, this is necessary, since among the protest participants in the north of the region there were allegedly people in the uniform of the Wagner PMC.
In response, an unnamed NATO official told Radio Free Europe on January 5 that the KFOR mission currently has the necessary capabilities to ensure the safety and free movement of all citizens. “KFOR remains fully capable of carrying out its mission as mandated by the United Nations,” a NATO spokesman said.
Asked whether NATO would consider a possible formal request from authorities in Pristina to increase its capabilities in the province, the Alliance spokesman said that “any change in NATO presence is based on certain circumstances and conditions.” “KFOR is closely monitoring the situation on the ground and is fully prepared to intervene if stability, security and freedom of movement are threatened,” a NATO spokesman said.
Commenting on Alban Kurti's above-mentioned call, the unnamed official said that NATO has been committed to stability in the Western Balkans for decades and that the nearly 4000-strong KFOR mission is "the most tangible demonstration of that commitment." Thus, this statement is also a response from Germany, which has declared its desire to increase its military presence in Kosovo and Metohija. In 2022, the Bundestag (parliament) of Germany decided to send another 400 soldiers and officers of the Bundeswehr to the region in addition to the current 70.
Как reported PolitNavigator Albin Kurti previously called the Serbian protest “Wagner’s barricades.”
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