Pristina, 28 December 2022. Following reports that the Serbian Minister of Defence, Miloš Vučević, and the Chief of Staff of the Serbian Armed Forces, General Milan Mojsilović, a few days ago visited units of the Serbian Armed Forces (SAF) deployed in the Raska area, about 2 kilometers from the Administrative Boundary Line (ABL) with Kosovo, it is useful to recall that the Serbian Armed Forces do not need authorization from KFOR to move and train on Serbian territory.
In accordance with existing agreements, the SAF are required to inform KFOR HQ only in case some of their units need to go closer than 1000 meters from the ABL. The information must be released to KFOR by the JIC, the Joint Implementation Commission, whose mission is to facilitate communications and understanding between the KFOR Commander and the Serbian Security Forces.
As for the Kosovo Security Forces (KSF), their deployment, according to existing agreements, requires prior concurrence from the KFOR Commander to go in the north of Kosovo. KFOR, in keeping with its mandate, may engage with legitimate representatives of the local community in northern Kosovo as part of this concurrence process.
We recall that all parties have always abided by existing agreements, and we urge them to continue doing so.
KFOR remains extremely vigilant and has the capability and personnel to provide a safe and secure environment and freedom of movement for all communities under our UN mandate, based on UNSCR 1244 of 1999. KFOR continues to closely monitor the situation on the ground and the activities along the ABL, supporting the dialogue to find an agreement to defuse tensions in northern Kosovo.