“Kosovo has committed itself that Kosovo Security Force troops would not embark in the north of Kosovo without a preliminary permission from NATO,” this is NATO’s official response to Radio Kosova.
This office also rejected the claims of Serbian officials for existence of an agreement between NATO and Serbia which does not allow embarking of KSF as well as the future Armed Forces troops in the northern municipalities.
“Being that NATO and Serbia hold regular discussions on regional security, then there is no agreement between Serbia and NATO regarding KSF operations in the north of Kosovo,” is written in NATO’s reply.
NATO officials did not want to comment Prime Minister Mustafa’s statement that Kosovo Armed Force would have a limited access in the north. “Within the context of the Agreement between Pristina and Belgrade, mediated by EU in April 2013, Pristina has officially accepted not to embark KSF troops in the north without permission from KFOR,” stressed this office. It was also added that the agreement has been implemented several times in the past, and KSF troops embarked in the north with the permission from KFOR.
On the other hand, the commander of Kosovo Security Force, Rrahman Rama, stated that KSF does not request permission from NATO to go to the north. He said that Kosovo Army will act wherever it is required.
Security analysts consider that if KSF troops do not get to go to the north in the future, and if a written agreement is not reached on this issue, then this would mean division of Kosovo.
