Kosovo to Build its Own Army: US and UK in Favour, Austria, EU and Nato Oppose

PoliticsInternational ♦ Published: December 14, 2018; 21:01 ♦ (Vindobona)

The Kosovar parliament decided against the strong advice of both the EU and NATO to set up official armed forces. Serbia's leadership cautions against a new war. Austria's Foreign Ministry warns and assesses the decision to form an own army as "not helpful".

A tank and KFOR soldier in Kosovo. / Picture: © Wikimedia Commons / Tiia Monto [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)]

Foreign Minister Karin Kneissl expressed concern about the planned conversion of Kosovo's civil protection system into an army.

Good neighbourly relations are an important prerequisite for Kosovo's EU integration efforts. Above all, the normalisation of relations with Serbia is a priority, and the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina initiated by High Representative Mogherini…