KOSOVO: Croatian Army Chief of Staff Lt.Gen. Drago Lovric promises help in training the Kosovo Security Force
Record ID:
863467
KOSOVO: Croatian Army Chief of Staff Lt.Gen. Drago Lovric promises help in training the Kosovo Security Force
- Title: KOSOVO: Croatian Army Chief of Staff Lt.Gen. Drago Lovric promises help in training the Kosovo Security Force
- Date: 17th April 2012
- Summary: PRISTINA, KOSOVO (APRIL 16, 2010) (REUTERS) CROATIAN ARMY CHIEF OF STAFF LT.GEN. DRAGO LOVRIC AND KOSOVO SECURITY FORCE (KSF) COMMANDER LT.GEN. KADRI KASTRATI TALKING (FAR LEFT) CROATIAN ARMY OFFICIALS ARRIVING CROATIAN ARMY OFFICIALS ARRIVING
- Embargoed: 2nd May 2012 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Kosovo, Kosovo
- City:
- Country: Kosovo
- Topics: Conflict,Defence / Military
- Reuters ID: LVACYJYPMWIJ6I5BWYGPTHQM7J0F
- Aspect Ratio:
- Story Text: Croatian high military officials on Monday (April 16) promised help in training for the Kosovo Security Force during their one day visit to the country.
The Croatian army chief of staff Lt.Gen Drago Lovric met with Commander of Kosovo Securtiy Force (KSF) Lt.Gen. Kadri Kastrati and the Minister of KSF Agim Ceku.
The Croatian delegation was warmly welcomed by their Kosovo counterparts as both Ceku and Kastrati fought in the 1991-95 Croatian war of independence.
"I asked the general and the army of the Republic of Croatia to help us with their experience so we can swiftly move to our main objective which is the membership of KSF in NATO," said KSF commander Kastrati.
The Kosovo Security Force is an emergency response force charged with conducting operations in Kosovo and abroad in the areas of Search and Rescue, Explosive Ordnance Disposal, Firefighting, and Hazardous Material Disposal. It is widely assumed that the KSF will take on an additional defense role after a governmental review of the organisation in 2013.
"The Republic of Croatia strongly supports building peace and stability in the region, as well as all the forms of cooperation in the region," Croatian army chief of staff Lt.Gen. Drago Lovric told the reporters.
"One of the field of cooperation we see in the education of Kosovo Security Forces with the educational programs of the armed forces of the Republic of Croatia," Lovric added.
"The Republic of Croatian has a large spectrum of training capabilities in educational fields and it is ready to share these capabilities with Kosovo Security Force," said Croatian Lt.Gen Lovric.
The force is trained and overseen by NATO, which has 6.226 peacekeepers on the ground in Kosovo. NATO has said the force is not an army and will not undertake military tasks. However they had couple of search and rescue missions in Albania, where they helped people in flooded areas.
The KSF is a multi-ethnic force that currently has around 2,500 personnel, and 800 reservists.
Serbia opposes the Kosovo's declaration of independence and it doesn't recognise any of the countries institutions including the Kosovo Security Force.
Belgrade lost control over Kosovo in 1999 when NATO bombed Serbia for 78 days to halt the killing and expulsion of ethnic Albanian civilians by Serb forces fighting a two-year counter-insurgency war.
Kosovo has been recognised by 89 countries, including Croatia, United States and 22 of the EU's 27 member states. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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