Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti called for a stronger NATO presence in the country

The Prime Minister of the self-proclaimed Kosovo, Albin Kurti, called for strengthening the presence of NATO troops in the republic. About this he declared edition of Die Welt.

“A significant increase in the number of NATO soldiers and military equipment in our country will increase security and peace in Kosovo and the entire region of the Western Balkans,” Kurti was quoted as saying.

The prime minister noted that now the republic is increasing its defense spending, as well as the number of reservist soldiers. In his opinion, the increase in the NATO peacekeeping contingent (KFOR) “will support the defensive efforts” of Kosovo.

Now there are about 3,800 NATO peacekeepers in the republic, 70 of them are German soldiers, Die Welt specifies. According to the decision of the German Bundestag, the number of German troops in Kosovo can be increased to 400 people.

Aggravation of the situation in the north of Kosovo occurred on December 10, when the Pristina authorities detained an ethnic Serb, a former policeman Dejan Pantic. He was suspected of attacking the election commission. In response to the actions of Pristina, the Serbian population began to erect barricades, blocking the passage along the highway in several settlements near the Yarine checkpoint, and went out to protest.

The EU missions in Kosovo (EULEX), as well as members of the NATO-led international security forces in Kosovo and Metohija (KFOR), were pulled to the barricades. The head of EU diplomacy, Josep Borrell, demanded that the Kosovo Serbs “immediately remove the barricades.” Due to the aggravation of the situation in the region, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic convened an emergency meeting of the country’s Security Council in response to Kurti’s threats to dismantle the barricades on his own.

On December 26, Vucic ordered the Serbian armed forces to be brought to the highest degree of combat readiness, but already on December 29 he canceled this decision, and on the same day the barricades began to be dismantled. 30 December Serbian President declaredthat the escalation of the conflict was avoided.