BRUSSELS – KFOR is staying in Kosovo, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on Tuesday.
“We do not have any plans to leave Kosovo. KFOR plays an important role to help to create security and stability in Kosovo,” Stoltenberg told a press conference.
“Our mission is condition-based, meaning that any reduction in the number of troops will be based on the conditions on the ground. That is something we will follow, and that is not on the agenda now because we assessed the situation on the ground in a way that is underlining the need for NATO to continue to be in Kosovo,” he said.
When asked by Serbian reporters to comment on claims by Kosovo Albanian politicians that KFOR is an obstacle to establishment of a Kosovo army, Stoltenberg responded:
“Any change in the mandate of the Kosovo Security Force has to be done in accordance with the (Kosovo) constitution.”