German Bundestag discusses Kosovo today after situation in the north

Germany concerned about situation in region

The German government had expressed concern about the situation in Kosovo since the beginning of the week. German Defence Minister Christine Lambricht, the SPD, who in the spring had the chance to get to know the situation personally in Kosovo, said the NATO-run KFOR “is also closely monitoring the situation and ready to intervene if stability is threatened. Bundeswehr remains committed to NATO and KFOR to ensure a safe environment and freedom of movement for all people in Kosovo”, Lambrecht said, according to a statement by Defence Minister Nadine Krüger's spokeswoman.

The German Army is represented in Kosovo as part of a NATO-led operation, but currently only with about 65 soldiers. Under Bundestag's mandate, as long as 400 German soldiers can be deployed in case of need. According to “Pioneer”, in an internal report of Bundeswehr last week, the security situation in Kosovo was not threatened and the situation was “checkable”.

naive security policy

Meanwhile in an exclusive interview with DW, Balkan expert at the Eastern and Southeast European Institute in Regensburg, Konrad Clewing, told of a change of Western strategy towards Kosovo in terms of security policies. “In my opinion, the dialogue co-ordinated by the EU between Serbia and Kosovo is not the right move to resolve this dispute long-term. Because this is a matter of security policy. Does Serbia have the right to deny or fight the existence of the state of Kosovo, do Kosovo have the right to do border controls and ask that its citizens, Kosovo citizens, respectively, use their state documents”, Clewing said, adding that “is naive to think that these fundamental issues will be resolved in agreement with Serbia”.

Clewing requires Germany and the West in general to end this policy and find a long-term solution for Kosovo. Since KFOR's mission does not include preserving Kosovo's external borders as a task, the only option that would ensure Kosovo's territorial integrity is NATO membership, the historian argues.

Ukraine, Mali in line of day

The Commission's extraordinary meeting, although Bundestag is officially located in the parliamentary holiday period, had long been warned because of the situation in Ukraine. But because of current developments, besides Kosovo, the agenda has added to the situation in Mali. The tensions between the UN mission and the mountain military junta have increased here last week too. /DW