Dacic and Lokke Rasmussen: KFOR of vital importance for preserving security in Kosovo

KFOR is of vital importance for preserving security in Kosovo, agreed today Serbian Minister of Foreign Affairs Ivica Dacic and Danish Minister of Foreign Affairs Lars Lokke Rasmussen today.

"KFOR is of vital importance for maintaining a safe and secure environment, and recent events only confirm this. Denmark will continue to support KFOR," Lokke Rasmussen said during a joint press conference with Dacic in Belgrade.

He expressed his wish to encourage both sides to work on de-escalation and added that he believed Serbia would engage constructively in this regard.

"I hope that a solution can be found soon; the situation in northern Kosovo is alarming. The attack this weekend follows unwarranted and unacceptable attacks on KFOR earlier in May," Lokke Rasmussen said.

Serbian Minister of Foreign Affairs Ivica Dacic stated that Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic had already conveyed Belgrade's view on the situation in Kosovo, with a desire to preserve peace.

"We want to preserve peace and prevent loss of human lives. We want the situation and causes of all problems to be objectively assessed, which include the non-compliance with the Brussels Agreement reached ten years ago, with EU guarantees," Dacic said.

He emphasized that this primarily meant the formation of the Community of Serb-majority Municipalities, which entailed having Serbian police officers in the north, i.e., the Serbs living in Kosovo.

"Likewise, it also means that the arrival of the Albanian police and military forces in northern Kosovo should not be allowed without KFOR approval. Along with an increased security role for KFOR, this would enable the preservation of peace and attempts to normalize the situation," Dacic pointed out.

Regarding the conflict in Ukraine, Lokke Rasmussen mentioned that Denmark would continue to support Kyiv by sending weapons, humanitarian aid, providing political support, and all other forms of assistance.

"All based on respect for Ukraine's territorial integrity," Rasmussen said, adding that he appreciated Serbia's contribution to supporting Ukraine.