Turkish Defence Ministry made a statement today and declared that Turkiye continues to contribute to regional and global peace and stability within the scope of its UN, NATO, EU and OSCE missions and bilateral relations. Emphasizing that Turkiye closely monitors the developments in the Balkans, to which shared historical and cultural values bind Turkiye, the Ministry said Turkiye calls for restraint on the parties to resolve the incidents that have taken place in the north of friendly and brotherly Kosovo in recent days and that harm regional security and stability through dialogue."
The Ministry stated that, upon the request of NATO Joint Force Command/Naples (Italy), a commando battalion affiliated to the 65th Mechanized Infantry Brigade Command, previously assigned to the NATO Kosovo Force (KFOR), was designated as a reserve unit. The Ministry added that the commando battalion would be transferred to the Sultan Murat Barracks in Kosovo on 4-5 June 2023.
NATO has declared that it will send 700 more troops to northern Kosovo to help supress violent protests.
What happened in Kosovo
The local elections were held in April at the four Serb-majority municipalities of Leposavić, North Mitrovica, Zubin Potok and Zvečan, located in North Kosovo.
Candidates of Albanian origin won the elections with the lowest turnout as Serbs boycotted the elections. Serbs who objected to the election results started protests. The tension between the Serbs and the police increased rapidly. Serbs also attacked the NATO soldiers. A total of 75 people, 25 of whom were NATO's Kosovo Force (KFOR) soldiers, were injured in the incidents.
After the tensions in Kosovo, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic ordered the army to be ready for war and move to the Kosovo border. Serbia considers Kosovo, which declared its independence unilaterally in 2008, its territory.
The tension has multiple aspects, as Serbs have carried out genocide in Bosnia and Herzegovina in the past. During the Srebrenica massacre, which the International Court of Justice recognized as "genocide", the Dutch Task Force (Dutchbat), which was on duty in the region on behalf of the United Nations (UN), did not try to prevent the massacre, on the contrary, it stayed ineffective and received a medal of honour from the Dutch Government.
