NATO to scale down Kosovo peacekeeping mission
NATO announced on Friday that it will gradually reduce the size of its peacekeeping mission in Kosovo over the next year, stating that the security situation has improved sufficiently to allow for a smaller military presence, News.Az reports, citing Anadolu.
“NATO and KFOR are fully committed to safety and security in Kosovo,” NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander Europe Gen. Alexus G. Grynkewich said in a statement.
“It is this commitment that has led to increased stability as the security organizations in Kosovo have become more capable. The current conditions provide an opportunity to optimize KFOR’s size and posture further,” he added.
The Kosovo Force (KFOR), NATO’s peacekeeping mission in Kosovo, has been deployed since 1999 under a United Nations mandate.
NATO said it ended the deployment of reserve troops to the mission in January after more than two years of continuous rotations.
The additional forces had been deployed following tensions and violence in 2023, including attacks on NATO peacekeepers in the northern Kosovo town of Zvečan. Nearly 1,000 extra troops were sent at the time, marking KFOR’s largest reinforcement in more than a decade.
According to NATO, future reductions will take place gradually through normal troop rotation cycles and will remain dependent on conditions on the ground. The alliance said the process could be reversed if the security situation deteriorates.
NATO also reaffirmed its commitment to the Western Balkans, stating that it will continue supporting the EU-facilitated dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina, which it described as essential for long-term regional stability.
By Nijat Babayev
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