4 hours agoDjukanovic considers Montenegrin troops in Kosovo unreasonable
Periskopi(5 years ago)
(5 years ago)Montenegro's President Milo Djukanovic said on Tuesday in Brussels that sending Montenegrin peacekeepers to the KFOR mission has been questioned by opponents of Kosovo's independence, aimed at the impossible mission of turning back history. He made these comments after meeting with NATO Secretary General Jens [...]
He made these comments after meeting with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, a few days after the Montenegrin government said it would not send a platoon of 30 soldiers to serve within the framework of the peacekeeping forces in Kosovo, due to the <x0 budget cuts and the situation with the pandemic of COVID-19”, reports VOA.
The sending of soldiers to Kosovo has been rejected by the Democratic Front, the largest party in the ruling coalition to be noted for its proserbe positions. Even the chairman of the Parliamentary Commission for Security, Milan Knezevic, warned the government if it sends forces to Kosovo. Milan Knezevic was convicted of participating in Russia's 2016 coup effort in Montenegro.
Secretary - General NATO said the decision to send peacekeepers to alliance missions belongs to each ally country.
“I would, of course, welcome Montenegro's contribution to KFOR forces, because it would be support for the important work of KFOR, would help preserve peace and stability in Kosovo and wider in the region, while for Montenegro it would be a way to help stabilise its neighbourhood”, he said.
Montenegro, which was independent 15 years ago, joined NATO in 2017 challenging the historic ally Moscow. The small Balkan country is seen as its favourite, even in the process of integration into the European Union. But, from December, there is a new government owned by pro-Serbian and pro-Russian parties, raising concerns about changing the country's orientation.
