Petritsch: I welcome the strengthening of KFOR, preventing war in the Balkans is a priority for the EU and the US

Wolfgang Petritsch, President of the Austrian Institute for International Affairs, welcomed the increase in NATO forces in Kosovo to prevent incidents like the one on September 24 in Banjska, Gazeta Express reports.

The former EU Special Representative for Kosovo believes that the coming year will focus more on preserving peace and security in the region.

In an interview with Kosova Press, Petritsch assessed that this year's extraordinary elections in Serbia and next year's regular elections in the European Union and the United States were a sign that there would be no concrete progress in the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina.

According to him, additional care is needed to "prevent anything from happening on the border between Kosovo and Serbia," and one must be aware that in Serbia, elections are a "time of fierce conflicts and violations of basic democratic rules."

"So we have to be extremely cautious now for nothing to happen on the border between Kosovo and Serbia. So, I very much welcome the strengthening of international forces there, and I think it's somewhat ironic. You may remember that in 1999, I negotiated a peace agreement in Rambouillet with representatives from the United States and Russia, and at that time, Serbia did not sign the agreement because it did not want to see international NATO forces in Kosovo. Now, President Vucic is saying that we need a stronger KFOR," Petritsch pointed out.

He emphasized the need to ensure a safe environment for citizens.

"Unfortunately, we saw the conflict of extremists in September this year, which should never happen again. I think KFOR is now on alert and will prevent any such incidents in the future," Petritsch said.

He added that there was a new determination and exceptional vigilance among Americans for security in the region, with a focus on fulfilling obligations in the dialogue.

Speaking about the security situation, Petritsch says that the international community has become much more cautious when it comes to the region, emphasizing that preventing war in the Balkans is the number one priority for both the EU and the US.