NATO peacekeepers and U.S. senator discuss security of Serbian shrines in Kosovo

The KFOR mission commander and the U.S. senator. Photo: KFOR mission Facebook

The security of Serbian shrines in Kosovo and Metohija became one of the central topics at the meeting between the commander of the NATO-led international peacekeeping mission – KFOR (Kosovo Force) – and an American senator, reports the UOJ in Serbia.

U.S. Senator and member of the Senate Armed Services Committee Joni Ernst visited the KFOR headquarters at Camp Film City in Pristina, where she was received by Major General Özkan Ulutaş, Commander of the NATO mission in Kosovo and Metohija. During the meeting, he briefed the senator on the current security situation in the region, noting that the mission continues to ensure a safe and secure environment for all residents of the area.

The meeting took place amid discussions about KFOR’s role in protecting the Visoki Dečani Monastery, where the gradual integration of the Kosovo Police into the security arrangements is expected. This issue is of particular importance for the protection of Serbian Orthodox religious sites and the Serbian people in Kosovo and Metohija.

General Ulutaş thanked the United States for its longstanding contribution to the mission, which operates under NATO leadership on the basis of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244 of 1999. As part of its mandate, KFOR cooperates with the Kosovo Police and the European Union Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo (EULEX).

The meeting with the KFOR commander took place after Senator Ernst visited the Gračanica Monastery, where she met with Teodosije, Bishop of Raška and Prizren. The parties discussed the position of the Serbian Orthodox Church and the Serbian people in Kosovo and Metohija, as well as the security challenges faced by worshippers and clergy.

As the UOJ previously reported, two U.S. servicemen were baptized in the Serbian Orthodox Church in Kosovo.

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