North Atlantic Council visits KFOR, confirming NATO’s commitment to Kosovo
Led by NATO Deputy Secretary General Rose Gottemoeller, the North Atlantic Council (NAC) is visiting KFOR on Friday (27 October 2017). NATO Ambassadors, joined by representatives of the non-NATO KFOR contributing nations and the European Union, met with the Commander of KFOR, Major General Giovanni Fungo, the Director of the NATO Advisory and Liaison Team Brigadier General Ralf Hoffmann, Mr. Rrustem Berisha, responsible for the Kosovo Security Forces, and with the other international organisations present in Kosovo (the United Nations, the EU and the OSCE).
“KFOR is a success story for the Alliance and our partners. We are aware of the many challenges Kosovo faces. KFOR will remain in Kosovo as long as it is necessary," said Deputy Secretary General Gottemoeller at a press conference at the KFOR headquarters.
During the visit, Allied Ambassadors took stock of the ongoing activities in NATO’s enhanced interaction with Kosovo. Additionally, Ms. Gottemoeller has met bilaterally with Mr. Hashim Thaci and Mr. Dalibor Jevtic. Throughout the day’s engagements, the NAC reiterated NATO’s long-standing message that the normalisation process between Pristina and Belgrade should continue.
For 18 years now, NATO has been working to keep Kosovo and the region safe: through the KFOR mission, as well as through assistance and advice, which help to build up the capacities of the Kosovo Security Force and its civilian institutions.