Federal Council sends 20 additional army personnel to Kosovo
Published: Wednesday, Nov 29th 2023, 12:30
Zurück zu Live Feed
The Swiss contingent of the NATO peacekeeping force KFOR in Kosovo will be reinforced with 20 additional members of the armed forces from April 2024. The Swisscoy contingent will be increased to replace the transport unit that Austria is withdrawing from the mission.
This was decided by the Federal Council at its meeting on Wednesday, as reported by the Federal Department of Defense, Civil Protection and Sport. The additional costs for increasing the maximum number of troops are covered by the DDPS budget. The Swisscoy contingent in the multinational peace support mission Kosovo Force (KFOR) will be increased from 195 to 215 members of the armed forces.
KFOR remains an important player for stability and security in the Western Balkans, according to the press release issued on Wednesday. By increasing its contingent, Switzerland is participating in the stabilization efforts undertaken by NATO in this region.
In doing so, it is also demonstrating its solidarity with its partners in a Europe facing major challenges in connection with the war in Ukraine. The increase in the Swiss contingent also promotes the strengthening of cooperation with NATO recommended by the Federal Council in the supplementary report to the 2021 Security Policy Report.
Switzerland has been involved in the NATO-led KFOR since 1999. Parliament had to approve the deployment as it lasts longer than three weeks and involves more than 100 members of the armed forces. In June of this year, Parliament extended the Swisscoy mission for the last time by three years until the end of 2026. The decision also gave the national government the right to increase the Swiss contingent by up to 30 members of the armed forces during the term of the mandate.
©Keystone/SDA
German 
English 
French 
Spanish 
Arabic