NATO Admiral: KSF takes 10 years to become an army

Through a solemn ceremony has been the change of KFOR Command, from the current Commander, Salvatore Cuocci, to Lorenzo D'Addario.

KFOR's work in the Republic of Kosovo was highly appreciated here, and it was said that Kosovo will always be side by side with KFOR and NATO.

While orders were issued for the process of transforming the KSF into the military. In this case, Kosovo Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj, expressing gratitude for KFOR's work in Kosovo, highly praised General Cuocci's contribution, which he said has done a great job.

He also stressed that Kosovo freedom is a common value, value of Kosovo and its allies. Once, he spoke of deepening his partnership with KFOR and NATO.

Kosovo's “People and the Government of Kosovo are forever grateful to all the men and women who have served and continue to serve in our country, supporting peace, security and stability... Kosovo will always respect the presence of KFOR and NATO. We do not plan to replace the military presence of democratic countries, and aim to strengthen partnership... We will always be side by side with KFOR and NATO. We aim to join NATO and believe that the region will benefit from the travel of all countries towards NATO. The new commander of KFOR, General Laurenzo D'Addario, you will have the entire commitment of the Government of Kosovo for co-operation, in making Kosovo and the region a safe and secure atmosphere”, he said, Ksp reports.

And the outgoing commander of KFOR, Major General Salvatore Cuocci, expressed satisfaction with the work done in Kosovo.

He said he is proud of the progress achieved this year, where despite the challenges, especially in the past 12 months, security in the country is better than it has been. The outgoing commander said he is extremely proud that KFOR is the most trusted international institution in Kosovo.

These past 12 months have been quite challenging, with some events that could have prevented all progress achieved earlier... I'm glad we have today joined by representatives of the neighbouring Kosovo states with whom we have addressed the security issues of the area... Currently, the Kosovo Force can account for 4 thousand dedicated men and women coming from 28 contributing nations... The fact that today KFOR has about ten times less troops than there were 19 years ago is simply a testimony to the progress we have achieved together. Of course, we can say that despite the rise of tensions in the general situation, security in Kosovo is obviously better than it was, and is constantly improving”, he said.

The general's special attention was also paid to KFOR reports with Serbia's Armed Forces.

I am especially proud of the progress achieved this year in raising the level of reports between KFOR and the Armed Forces of Serbia. This resulted in an increase in the number of joint KFOR patrols conducted in full synchronization with Serbia's Armed Forces, creating conditions for greater security along the administrative border line zones, as a result of increased communication and mutual confidence”, Cuocci said.

He cited as a particular success the workshop organised by KFOR, dedicated to presenting different countries' perceptions of religious extremists and foreign fighters. The worker, according to him, offered a unique opportunity to increase awareness of the situation in order to develop a common strategy to deal with this phenomenon.

Admiral i NATO, James Foggo, praised the work of Cuocci in Kosovo, saying the latter inspired greater partnership in all partner institutions and organisations.

Meanwhile, after a KFOR history, Foggo stopped in the process of transforming the Kosovo Security Forces into the army, by which means he invited the leaders of institutions not to rush into the process, as according to him, all sides should be satisfied.

I've heard a lot of discussions over the last year on the issue of transforming KSF. Outside Kosovo, this discussion has always been held in terms of a requirement for constitutional reform. I have not seen constitutional reform in 2018 to support the transformation. I am aware of a dialogue with interested parties on this issue, but not all parties interested. Faithful sources have told me that the process can last ten years and that is not a bad thing. It would be wise not to rush and have time needed during this process and make sure that all sides are satisfied with the transformation process”, Foggo said.

Otherwise, Commander Salvatore Cuocci had taken over on November 15, 2017.