Today, some 5,000
troops from the NATO-led Kosovo Force (KFOR), provided by 31 countries (23 NATO
and eight KFOR partners) continue to contribute towards maintaining a safe and
secure environment and freedom of movement for all citizens, irrespective of their
ethnic origin.
Following the
unilateral declaration of independence on 17 February 2008, the Alliance
reaffirmed that KFOR shall remain in Kosovo on the basis of UN Security Council
Resolution (UNSCR) 1244, unless the United Nations Security Council decides
otherwise. In June 2008, NATO agreed to take on new tasks in Kosovo. These new
tasks included the standing down of the Kosovo Protection Corps and the
creation of the Kosovo Security Force (KSF) as an all-crisis voluntary,
professional, multi-ethnic, lightly armed force with a mandate encompassing
crisis response, assistance to civil authorities in responding to natural and
other disasters and emergencies, explosive ordinance disposal and civil
protection. These tasks, together with KFOR’s overall mandate, have not been
affected by the ruling of the International Court of Justice on 22 July 2010:
the advisory opinion of the Court on the legality of Kosovo’s unilateral
declaration of independence is that it did not violate international law, nor
UNSCR 1244.
Throughout Kosovo,
and bearing in mind its operational mandate, KFOR is cooperating with and
assisting the UN, the EU and other international actors, as appropriate, to
support the development of a stable, democratic, multi-ethnic and peaceful
Kosovo. In April 2013, Belgrade and Pristina reached an Agreement on
Normalisation, which will help to improve relations between both parties while
giving new momentum to the Euro-Atlantic integration of the Western Balkans.
NATO and, in particular, KFOR will stand ready to support the implementation of
this latest agreement to the best of their ability within their current
mandate.
