Today (01 October 2021), NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg met with the EU Special Representative for the Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue and other Western Balkan regional issues Miroslav Lajčák at NATO Headquarters in Brussels. During his visit, Special Representative Lajčák also exchanged views with the Permanent Representatives of the North Atlantic Council.
“NATO welcomes the recent arrangement on de-escalation and the way forward in northern Kosovo reached between Belgrade and Pristina, under the auspices of the EU-facilitated Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue,” Secretary General Stoltenberg said. “Our KFOR mission plays a fundamental role to ensure the effective implementation of this arrangement, and NATO remains strongly committed to the stability of the Western Balkans region,” he added. KFOR is mandated by United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244 of 1999 to ensure a safe and secure environment and freedom of movement for all communities living in Kosovo.
The NATO Secretary General remains in close touch with both President Vučić and Albin Kurti about the need to de-escalate, show restraint and return to dialogue. NATO firmly supports the EU-facilitated Dialogue and other efforts aimed at the normalisation of relations between Belgrade and Pristina as the only path towards achieving a lasting political agreement and stability for the region. Secretary General Stoltenberg praised the NATO-EU cooperation regarding Kosovo as an excellent example of the strategic partnership between the two organisations.