Vergori and Wikoff tour north Kosovo, meet Perovic
KFOR's new commander and the admiral from Naples toured the north on October 15 and joined a patrol. Kosovo Police says two of its directors came along.
KFOR commander Major General Roberto Vergori and Admiral George M. Wikoff, head of NATO’s Allied Joint Force Command in Naples, toured northern Kosovo on October 15, a day after Vergori formally took over the mission. It was the new commander’s first tour of the north. We previously reported on the handover itself.
The two commanders visited KFOR and Kosovo Police personnel during a joint patrol along the administrative line. In Zubin Potok, they met municipal president Milos Perovic. According to a KFOR statement, they discussed the security situation in the municipality and KFOR’s assessment of it. Earlier in the day, they visited Gracanica Monastery.
KFOR said of the tour:
KFOR continues to regularly assess the situation on the ground, cooperate with all communities and maintain operational readiness. It remains committed to fulfilling its mission with professionalism and impartiality.
What came before the tour of the north?
On October 14, Vergori took command from Turkish Major General Ozkan Ulutas at KFOR headquarters in Pristina. Wikoff presided over the ceremony, and Vergori comes from the Italian Armed Forces. Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto also attended.
During the same visit to Pristina, Wikoff, Vergori and Ulutas met representatives of the central institutions, the Serbian List and the Raska-Prizren Eparchy. They told the Serbian List that KFOR’s mandate remains unchanged. KFOR’s statement on that meeting says:
During the conversation, it was reiterated that KFOR’s mission remains unchanged and that its commitment to all people and communities in Kosovo remains firm. However, lasting security depends on political solutions, not military ones.
That message, then, comes from the October 14 meeting with the Serbian List in Pristina, not from the statement on the visit to the north.
What was said in Gracanica?
At Gracanica Monastery, Wikoff and Vergori were received by Metropolitan Teodosije of Raska-Prizren, together with Archimandrite Sava and associates. According to RTS, the metropolitan voiced the Serb community’s concerns about security, the rule of law and the protection of basic freedoms. He also thanked KFOR for protecting Visoki Decani Monastery and wished the new commander success in his post.
Wikoff, according to the same report, confirmed KFOR’s commitment to preserving a safe environment and freedom of movement for all communities.
What does Kosovo Police say about the same visit?
On October 16, a day later, Kosovo Police said that police director Gazmend Hoxha and Border Police director Fehmi Xhata also took part in the tour. According to the statement, they visited border police units and joint police and KFOR patrols. The aim of the visit, they say, was to see on the ground the joint effort in monitoring the “border belt.”
Kosovo Police said:
The sides stressed the importance of continued cooperation and inter-institutional coordination, as an important contribution to preserving a safe environment, guaranteeing peace and stability, and the safety of all citizens.
Some time later the police released a video, explaining that Hoxha and Xhata had also visited rapid intervention units and the unit that controls the “water border.” The visit, by their account, ended with a patrol with the water border units.
The reports also differ in how they name the terrain. Kosovo Police speaks of monitoring the “green and blue line,” while KFOR, citing UN Security Council Resolution 1244, which defines its mandate, calls the same area the administrative line. RTS does not mention Hoxha and Xhata in its report, and the Albanian portal Albeu names only Hoxha.
What did Italy say about its future presence?
In Pristina on October 14, Crosetto said Rome is considering deploying radars in the region:
We will continue our engagement even when KFOR reduces its presence in Kosovo, because the Balkans and its security are of key importance to us.
In his words, the goal is to strengthen surveillance capacity and detect threats in time. Crosetto did not specify which system would be deployed or where, so for now this is a proposal under consideration, not a confirmed procurement or a deployment agreement. Euronews Italia reports that radars from the Kronos family made by the Italian company Leonardo could be an option, as well as the CAEW airborne surveillance aircraft.
In recent days KFOR has also said it is carrying out regular activities in the north and coordinating with Kosovo Police, while monitoring the security situation and maintaining its presence on the ground.
