The Bundeswehr wants to provide more soldiers in Kosovo in 2024. According to the federal government, the increase was planned before the recent tensions in the Balkans. Fear of escalation overshadows the Western Balkans conference in Tirana.
The Bundeswehr will deploy another company for the UN KFOR mission in Kosovo next year. A spokesman for the Federal Ministry of Defense in Berlin confirmed a corresponding report by “Spiegel”.
However, the decision has nothing to do with the current tensions in the north of Kosovo. With the stationing of 155 additional soldiers from April 2024, the Bundeswehr is only compensating for a withdrawing Austrian company. There are currently 71 Bundeswehr soldiers stationed in Kosovo.
Baerbock is concerned about Security situation
The recently flared up tensions between Serbia and Kosovo have meanwhile overshadowed the meeting between Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and her colleagues from the Western Balkan countries. At the Western Balkans conference in Tirana, the Green politician once again expressed concern about the security situation in the region, given the recent acts of violence by Serbian paramilitaries in northern Kosovo.
There is a setback in the security situation, although “we all hoped and believed that we were a good deal further along,” said Baerbock at the start of the meeting with her colleagues from Serbia, Kosovo, Montenegro, Bosnia-Herzegovina, North Macedonia and Albania .
The meeting is part of the Berlin Process initiated by Germany in 2014 to bring the Western Balkan countries closer to the EU. According to the Green politician, it is important in the Berlin process to first make everyday life easier for the citizens of the six Western Balkan countries in their bilateral dealings with one another. Three of the four planned “mobility agreements” have already been implemented. This involves the mutual recognition of personal documents as well as school and university qualifications. “Things that sound banal are crucial,” emphasized Baerbock.
Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock arrives at the Western Balkans summit in Tirana.
Federal Government wants to accelerate integration
It is a concern of the Federal Government “that we accelerate the integration of the Western Balkans into the European Union,” said Baerbock. At the same time, she emphasized that the path to the European Union can only be achieved together, with mutual respect for territorial integrity. The discussions between the foreign ministers and foreign ministers will be followed by a summit of the heads of state and government of the participating states on October 16, also in Tirana.
There was a recent setback for the process due to renewed tensions between Kosovo and Serbia. The foreign ministers of both countries should take part in the discussions in Tirana. The representative of Kosovo, Donika Gervalla-Schwarz, warned in an interview with the Bavarian Radio, the danger of a new Balkan war is greater than it has been for 30 years. She insisted on Western sanctions for Serbia. “I expect a clear stance from the ministers present to condemn Serbia’s aggression and also to decide on concrete steps,” said Gervalla-Schwarz.
Attack by armed Serbs in northern Kosovo
Tensions between Serbia and Kosovo have increased since September 24, when around 30 armed Serbs attacked a Kosovo police station in the north of the country. As a result of the developments, Serbia has increased its troops on the border with Kosovo. In view of the renewed outbreak of violence, NATO has announced that it will increase its KFOR troops in Kosovo. Great Britain promised 600 additional soldiers, Romania around a hundred.
Kosovo declared its independence from Serbia in 2008. This is not recognized by the government in Belgrade or by the Serb minority in Kosovo. Over 90 percent of Kosovo’s population are ethnic Albanians. In the north of the country, however, Serbs make up the majority.