Kosovo PM would welcome more Swiss soldiers

Inspecting KFOR lorries in Novo Selo, Kosovo, in 2019 Keystone / Jean-christophe Bott

Kosovan Prime Minister Albin Kurti has spoken out in favour of strengthening SWISSCOY, the Swiss armed forces’ contingent in Kosovo. He says his country is not only dependent on a continuation of the mission, but also on the Swiss contribution growing.

“More Swiss officers and soldiers are always very welcome in our country,” Kurti said in an interview with CH Media on Friday. Kosovo is “infinitely grateful to Switzerland for its commitment with SWISSCOY”, he continued.

In November the Swiss government announced that it wanted to extend the SWISSCOY mission in Kosovo by three years, until the end of 2026.

A week ago the Security Policy Committee of the Senate also spoke out in favour. It had also requested that the number of army personnel be increased by a maximum of 30 during a deployment.

Currently, the maximum number of SWISSCOY personnel is 195 members of the armed forces. Parliament must approve the deployment because it lasts longer than three weeks and involves more than 100 army personnel. The current mandate expires at the end of 2023.

Since 1999 the Swiss armed forces have been involved with SWISSCOY in the Kosovo peacekeeping mission KFOR (Kosovo Force), the multinational military formation set up in 1999 after the end of the Kosovo war under NATO leadership.