35 minutes agoGerman Minister: We are working with France to continue the Kosovo- Serbia
Periskopi(7 years ago)
(7 years ago)German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said today that since relations between Belgrade and Pristina are not resolved permanently, there will be tension, Berlin is making efforts to launch a dialogue between the two sides, in order to reach a comprehensive agreement that would ensure the stability of the region. Maas, in a speech [...]
Maas, in a speech in Bundestag, repeating the government's proposal to continue the German Army's participation in KFOR, recalled that this was also the goal of the recently held summit of Western Balkan countries, organised by German and French leaders in Berlin and announced that “Germanism and would work together with France in the weeks and months to achieve that goal”.
Maas said there has been a deterioration in relations between Belgrade and Pristina in recent months, and that he sees great potential for escalation, as he said, mainly in Serbs, mostly located in northern Kosovo.
Last week's <x0). This is seen again. The Serbian government has established security of the army when Kosovo police have conducted action in several countries in Kosovo, even in the north against organised crime”, Maas said.
He also said that during the entire police operation, KFOR commander was in constant contact with the Serb side, the Kosovo police, EULEX and all other participants.
“Mission, once again, has contributed to calming the situation into a difficult situation. This shows that KFOR was and remains the stabilising force. And, most importantly, KFOR enjoys the support of both sides, which is a golden value especially in the current situation, when mediation is essential and this will be important for the coming months”, says Maas.
He stressed that this month the KFOR mission is entering the 20th year of presence in Kosovo and that this is the longest mission of the German Army.
Maas said the German Army once had 6,000 soldiers in KFOR and that <x0fal progress in recent years, the presence has steadily diminished”, so that at this mandate the number of soldiers from 800 has been reduced to 400.
He estimates that reducing the presence of the German Army is a clear message that everything works on the ground, but also that the German army can react quickly and with flexibility for the sudden deterioration of the security situation, which, according to him, can happen at any time because of tension.
