the Balkans

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The Balkans

NATO is committed to a durable and lasting peace in the Balkans.

Kosovo: More than 7 years after Operation Allied Force ended the Milosevic regime's policy of ethnic cleansing, NATO remains firmly engaged in Kosovo. The NATO-led Kosovo Force (KFOR) is the Alliance’s largest military mission in the Balkans and second largest overall behind Afghanistan, with over 16,000 troops from more than 25 countries participating. In addition to providing security in Kosovo, KFOR supports the UN in policing and other civilian functions that are focused on rebuilding a civil society. NATO will continue to conduct prudent military planning in order to ensure KFOR’s ability to respond to any future contingency as well as seek to optimize the Alliance’s footprint in Kosovo as needed. In February, UN Special Envoy Ahtisaari presented a Comprehensive Proposal for a Kosovo Status Settlement that, if approved as part of a new U.N. Security Council Resolution, calls on NATO to remain as the international military presence that would work closely with major international partners, including the European Union. The proposal also calls on NATO to take on the additional mission to supervise the establishment of a small, lightly armed security force and appropriate civilian oversight. NATO will continue to participate as part of the Contact Group Plus and will remain committed to maintaining peace and stability in post-status Kosovo.

Western Balkans: NATO remains committed to promoting a peaceful and stable environment in the Balkans and maintains three regional headquarters in Bosnia and Herzegovina (NATO HQ Sarajevo); Macedonia (NATO HQ Skopje); and Albania (NATO HQ Tirana) that are charged with assisting the defense reform efforts of those respective countries. NATO also has a military liaison office in Belgrade, Serbia that is designed to foster closer cooperation between NATO and the Serbian Ministry of Defense. In 2006, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, and Serbia joined NATO’s Partnership for Peace following the Riga Summit. NATO remains committed to providing financial assistance to the Balkans through the NATO SouthEast Europe Trust Fund Initiative which assists the transition of redundant military personnel to civilian life.

North Atlantic Council statement after Kosovo’s declaration of independence Following Kosovo’s declaration of independence yesterday, NATO reaffirms that KFOR shall remain in Kosovo on the basis of UNSCR 1244 , as agreed by Foreign Ministers in December 2007, unless the UN Security Council decides otherwise. more

Transcripts

April 16, 2007 The Future of Kosovo; R. Nicholas Burns, Under Secretary for Political Affairs; Remarks at the Council on Foreign Relations; Washington, DC.

March 13, 2007 The Kosovo Future Status Process; Daniel Fried, Assistant Secretary for European and Eurasian Affairs; Rosemary DiCarlo, Deputy Assistant Secretary; On-The-Record Briefing; Washington, DC.

March 05, 2007 A Decisive Year for Serbia; Daniel Fried, Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs; Belgrade City Hall; Belgrade, Serbia.

February 02, 2007 A "European Future" for the Balkans; Daniel Fried, Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs; Interviewed by Deputy Editor Robert McMahon of Council on Foreign Relations; Washington, DC.

The Balkans

Transcripts

What U.S. Officials Are Saying