Ristuccia: We risked losing everything that was achieved in the previous 23 years

The situation in Kosovo is calm and stable, although it can be sensitive in the north, and during the previous months we risked losing everything that was achieved in the previous 23 years, KFOR commander Major General Angelo Michele Ristuccia said in an interview for Euronews Serbia.

He spoke about the security situation in Kosovo, the relationship he has with the representatives of the Serbs from the north of Kosovo and reveals whether the Kosovo security services and special police forces can be engaged in the north of Kosovo. Also, the Major General answers to who the drone shot down in the territory of central Serbia belongs.

You took office at the beginning of October, what has been your experience so far? How complicated do you think the situation is?

This is a challenging experience, the situation is unique, and at the same time complex for several reasons. First of all, this is a challenging experience for me because of the firm mandate I have and the complexity of the duties that Kfor has to perform. It is also a complex situation because the community and actors in this area are heterogeneous, they all have their own interests that sometimes overlap. It is also a complex situation due to the tensions that sometimes arise in the population. Nevertheless, we try to do our best on the ground, ensure peace and security and that KFOR fulfills its duty, which means providing a safe and secure environment and contributing to freedom of movement throughout Kosovo.

You have already mentioned the importance of KFOR in the territory of Kosovo for ensuring security, and in this regard, the citizens, especially those in the north, look at KFOR as something to ensure safety and security. How does KFOR participate in creating that security in the north of Kosovo?

The situation is generally calm and stable, although it can be sensitive in the north. You know better than I what happened in the previous months, starting from July. During the previous months, we risked losing everything that was achieved in the previous 23 years. The situation is very complex because in the north there was an withdrawal of people from institutions, which led to a vacuum and people feel uncertainty and fear at this moment. I think there is an unnecessary rhetoric from both sides that does not contribute to peace and stability in this situation. This type of narrative does not contribute to strengthening and developing the dialogue and achieving the results that are needed. I take this opportunity to call on all parties to avoid any kind of statements that could lead to escalation. We must preserve peace and security and create conditions in which the dialogue can continue and the achieved results can be preserved.

It is you who are talking about the importance that KFOR has on the territory of Kosovo and because of the feeling that citizens have that it instills security in them. It seems that, above all, citizens in the north of Kosovo rely on KFOR the most in those moments of crisis like they were. How does KFOR participate in ensuring safety, security and peace, above all in the north of Kosovo?

KFOR is fully committed to providing security in this area. We are the main security provider here, we are engaged in the field and we are engaged in discussions at all levels, with all actors and we provide security in this area. On the ground, we carry out our tasks in accordance with our mandate, which is defined by Resolution 1244 of the SC, and we work with our resources and assure the population that we are there, that we provide security of movement. At the same time, the entire leadership of KFOR is involved in meetings with all actors in order to find the best solution to guarantee on the ground that there is enough space for diplomats and politicians to conduct dialogue, to strengthen mutual trust and to find the best solutions that can ensure a better future for all the people in Kosovo.

There is concern in Belgrade, but above all among the Serbs in the north of Kosovo, because of the accumulation of those special police units, especially in the north in the region of that administrative line. In what way and is KFOR able to promise the Serbs from the north of Kosovo that 2004 will never happen again or that no one will arrest and persecute the Serbs in the north?

First of all, I want to say that we are here to guarantee peace and stability and to avoid the scenario from 2004. Therefore, 27 countries are committed, of which 20 are NATO members, and seven are partners committed to doing it for the good condition of all people in Kosovo. As for the Kosovo Security Forces, since I was KFOR commander, no one had a request to deploy those forces in the north. And as far as my predecessors are concerned, it didn't happen during their mandate either. As for the Kosovo Police, it is the only Kosovo security organization in charge of implementing all law and order tasks, so they can operate throughout the territory of Kosovo, provided they apply the rules and the rule of law. While I am here, during my mandate, we fully cooperate with the Kosovo police and all institutions of Kosovo have assured me that there will be no unilateral measures without prior consultation with the KFOR command. And so it was and until now, no one from the special operations unit of the police was deployed in the north of Kosovo without prior consultation with the KFOR command. The request was not submitted, but I just want to add, the special units of the Kosovo police are part of the Kosovo police, they are trained and perform special tasks in special circumstances and there are no restrictions for them to operate in Kosovo.

We do not yet know whether the agreement was oral or written from 2013, according to which it was agreed that neither the security forces of Kosovo, nor the special police, can come to the north of Kosovo, without the approval of the four mayors of the municipalities of the north of Kosovo and without the approval of KFOR. Do you know about the existence of that agreement?

I will repeat, there was no request to deploy the KSF in the north of Kosovo and I assure you that all institutions in Kosovo have assured me that there will not be any unilateral measures without prior consultation with the KFOR command and so far the coordination is excellent and I have no objections. As for the agreement, it was a letter sent by the Prime Minister of Kosovo institutions to the then Secretary General of NATO, and the four mayors of the municipalities in the north were not mentioned in that letter, and the special forces of the Kosovo Police were not mentioned either. Again, there is the belief that no one from the KSD will go to the north of Kosovo without the approval of the KFOR command, and this is something that has been confirmed to me by all institutions in Kosovo.

Representatives of Belgrade refer to the agreement that was concluded. So how do you see what the President of Serbia recently said that the situation in the north, as he put it, is boiling, that is, that the Serbs from the north are on the verge of making a decision not to let anyone enter the north of Kosovo because of the current situation?

I read this statement in the media and I understand the concerns of President Vucic when it comes to the situation in the north and the citizens living in these four municipalities. At the same time, I would like to underline that the KFOR mandate clearly stipulates that KFOR is responsible for providing safety and security throughout Kosovo, as well as for guaranteeing freedom of movement. Safety, security and freedom of movement are inviolable, so whatever threatens these things KFOR will respond in an appropriate way, it will continue to fulfill this mandate as it has done all these years, since 1999. We are there in the interest of all people living in Kosovo serving all citizens living in four municipalities.

You mentioned that you have cooperation with the Chief of the General Staff of the Serbian Army, what is the cooperation between the Serbian Army and KFOR, are there joint patrols or not? How do you participate in securing that administrative line?

We have excellent coordination and cooperation with the Serbian Armed Forces, with full respect for what is prescribed by Resolution 1244. This is a multi-layered cooperation that also includes my communication with the Chief of the General Staff of the Serbian Armed Forces. We have frequent phone conversations and we met in Belgrade and we are monitoring the situation and cooperating in order to reduce tensions and avoid jeopardizing peace, stability and freedom of movement. On the ground, our forces also fully cooperate within the given mandate and monitor the administrative line in close cooperation. So far we have done hundreds of activities together and so far there have been no problems in completing our tasks.

Were you in contact when the Serbian Army noticed those drones that came from the territory of Kosovo?

Thanks for this question which allows me to clarify an important issue. First of all, I knew about this drone, I was informed by the Chief of the General Staff of the Serbian Army. This was certainly not a KFOR drone, nor was it a drone flying from Kosovo to Serbia. In accordance with Resolution 1244, the KFOR commander is responsible for the coordination and control of the airspace over Kosovo, so whoever wants to use the airspace must first obtain the approval of the KFOR command. No one asked for permission to use a drone that day and as far as I know, since as I told you I learned in a conversation with the Chief of the General Staff that a drone flew over the territory of Serbia, I don't know what kind of drone it was and whose it was.