The Minister of National Defense, Angel Tilvar, and the Chief of the Defense Staff, General Daniel Petrescu, met the Romanian troops deployed in the NATO military base in Pristina, Kosovo, who are participating in the operation NATO Kosovo Force – KFOR, the Defense Ministry (MapN) informs, according to Agerpres.

According to MApN, Romanian officials also met with KFOR commander, Major General Angelo Michele Ristuccia (Italy).

In the context of the meeting with the troops from the Romanian KFOR contingent, the replacement of the national senior in Kosovo, lieutenant-colonel Pavel-Nicolae Istvanovicz, presented the missions performed, the way of integration into the force structure, as well as the basic living conditions.

The dialogue highlighted that „the state of morale is very good, the hardware corresponds to the operational needs and the relations of cooperation with the KFOR soldiers are maintained at an excellent level”, specify the MApN representatives.

Minister Angel Tilvar conveyed that, since assuming the mandate to lead the ministry, he proposed to meet the Romanian military in the theaters of operations, Kosovo being the first visit in this series of meetings.

„You know that, as it was established, this year the ministry was allocated 2.5% of the GDP, a budget that allows, from a financial point of view, the provision of the equipment necessary for defense. But I want you to know that, before discussing acquisitions and endowments, the living conditions of the military staff are on the first place in the ministry’s attention,” said Tilvar.

For his part, General Daniel Petrescu conveyed to the 68 Romanian servicemen from KFOR that, in the context of the new security challenges, an increased level of attention is needed in order to successfully fulfill the mandate received.

At the end of the meeting, as a sign of appreciation for the way the entrusted missions were carried out, Minister Angel Tilvar presented a plaque with the heraldic insignia of the Ministry of Defense to Lieutenant-Colonel Nicusor-Lucian Parvu, and the Chief of Defense conferred the „Emblem of Honor of the Defense Staff ” to Lieutenant-Colonel Pavel-Nicolae Istvanovicz and „The Emblem of Merit in the Service of Peace, Class II” to Sergeant-Major Cristian-Valentin Hangiu.

The Chief of the Defense Staff and the KFOR commander evaluated the effectiveness of the increase in the number of missions in Kosovo, in the conditions of the intensification of tensions since the end of last year. Also, the two reviewed the current data of the operation. „In the context of increasing security challenges, the evolution of the situation in Kosovo requires the strengthening of KFOR’s position and highlights the fundamental role of the allied mission in this theater of operations”, emphasized General Daniel Petrescu.

Since 1999, following the allied intervention that ended the violence in Kosovo, NATO has been carrying out the multinational peacekeeping operation KFOR (Kosovo Force). At the beginning, the force structure of KFOR consisted of 50,000 troops. The operation, under the mandate of the UN Security Council, guarantees a safe and stable security environment and freedom of movement for all residents of Kosovo. Over time, the security situation improved, the Alliance adjusting its KFOR position by adopting a more flexible and less numerous force structure. Currently, KFOR is made up of approximately 3,700 military staff from 27 allied and partner countries, the actions to consolidate multi-ethnic peace being in full coordination with those of the UN and the EU (European Union Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo – EULEX), as well as with those of other international organizations. The KFOR command is transferred in rotation between the representatives of the allied states participating in the operation.

Agerpres