The acting President of Kosovo, Albulena Haxhiu, held a meeting with the Commander of the NATO Allied Joint Forces Command in Naples, Admiral George Wikoff, with whom she discussed the security situation in the country and the cooperation between the institutions of Kosovo and the Alliance. According to Haxhiu, the meeting appreciated the role of KFOR in maintaining a safe environment and freedom of movement for all communities in Kosovo.
She said she thanked Admiral Wikoff for his commitment and reiterated that Kosovo's Euro-Atlantic orientation remains unchanged, REL informs. "NATO membership remains our strategic goal," Haxhiu wrote on Facebook, adding that the country's institutions remain committed to strengthening the partnership with the Alliance.
During his visit to Pristina, Admiral Wikoff was also received by the acting Prime Minister, Albin Kurti. According to Kurti, the meeting discussed security developments and coordination between Kosovo and NATO institutions, while he expressed gratitude for KFOR's contribution to peace and stability in Kosovo and the Western Balkans region. NATO has been leading the KFOR peacekeeping mission in Kosovo since June 1999, based on UN Security Council Resolution 1244.
Currently, KFOR is responsible for maintaining a secure environment in coordination with the Kosovo Police and the EU rule of law mission, EULEX. In June, NATO announced that it would begin a gradual adjustment of KFOR's presence over about a year, arguing that the security situation in Kosovo has improved.
The alliance assured that it is not about withdrawing the mission, but about optimizing the military presence. It stressed that any reduction will depend on the situation on the ground and that it could be reversed if the situation worsens. Following tensions in the north in 2023, NATO sent additional troops to Kosovo.
Currently, over 4.600 troops from 31 countries around the world serve in the mission. The largest number comes from Italy: 907.
The United States is present with 590 soldiers. Kosovo is seeking NATO membership, but four Alliance countries – Greece, Spain, Slovakia and Romania – do not yet recognize its independence. In recent months, the US Congress has increased support for Kosovo, through bipartisan resolutions that call for advancing its path towards NATO and reaffirm the importance of the US military presence in the country, but a decision on membership requires the unanimous support of 32 members.
