Stoltenberg: KSF do not have NATO support to arm themselves

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg stated that the Kosovo Security Forces (KSF) did not have NATO support to arm themselves, and their transition to an army was not good, Blic reports.

Stoltenberg said this in an interview with Tanjug, responding to a question about why NATO allowed the arming of the KSF and the purchase of drones, emphasizing that NATO was against it.

When asked about Kosovo's NATO membership, Stoltenberg said that any decision on membership had to be implemented by the consensus of all its members.

"If some members have not recognized Kosovo, that in itself poses a problem for membership, but we believe that the only path to a peaceful solution and prosperity is to support the dialogue mediated by the EU", he said.

Regarding the increase in patrols in northern Kosovo, Stoltenberg stated that NATO had increased its presence in the north four times.

"We added 1,000 soldiers, and armored vehicles because we saw an increase in tensions and violence when 93 KFOR soldiers were injured, some seriously, and there was a serious incident on September 24. We are asking our commanders to assess whether we should have a longer-term presence, waiting for further recommendations before any further decisions", Stoltenberg said.

When asked how he interpreted the fact that the KSF were armed and deployed in the north, Stoltenberg said that the Kosovo Security Forces must be distinguished from the police.

"The agreement from 2013 clearly states that Kosovo Forces cannot be redeployed to the north of Kosovo without confirmation from the NATO Commander and the Turkish general who currently leads the KFOR forces. But the police are not covered by that agreement, although we have also expressed that we expect coordination and that KFOR should be informed if they are redeployed or when their actions affect the security situation and cause insecurity", Stoltenberg said.