KFOR Commander, Major General Lorenzo D’Addario said at the ceremony marking the 20th anniversary of NATO troops’ deployment to Kosovo that KFOR has provided security and freedom of movement for all the people in Kosovo by working together with other international organisations and missions, as mandated by the UN SC resolution 1244.
“As a result, Kosovo is a place much different to that 20 years ago. Kosovo has experienced 20 years of peace and progress. This progress has not come for free. During these years, more than 200 soldiers lost their lives serving with KFOR. Kosovo is witness to the development of an energetic society. The journey is full of challenges and there are still many difficulties that need to be overcome. When I look back, I don’t see anymore people trying to stay alive, save their heads, but I see people ready to build the wellbeing and future of their children.”
At the same time, Admiral James Foggo, commander of NATO’s Allied Joint Force Command in Naples, said KFOR is Alliance’s biggest operation in Europe. “It was June of 1999 when the United Nations Security Council resolution 1244 established the Kosovo Force as ‘international security presence authorized to create a safe and secure environment for all people in Kosovo.’ We can happily look back and see KFOR has done just that,” he said.
