News from Berlin

German Defense Minister Visits Soldiers in Kosovo

May 16th, 2014
Optimized-Von Leyen Kosovo.jpg

News from Berlin - Since Wednesday, May 14th German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen has been in Kosovo to visit German soldiers based in the country. German military presence in Kosovo has existed since June 1999 when the German Government decided to help NATO intervention by sending 6,400 German soldiers in order to bring peace and stability into this conflict zone. After the end of the war around 4,900 soldiers from 32 countries took part to the stabilization plan lead by NATO. Germany was one of these countries. With around 700 German soldiers currently in Kosovo, German military presence is the first foreign presence in the region.

The German Defense Minister’s visit to Kosovo was a good opportunity to underline that German contribution to maintain peace in Kosovo is significant. Speaking of the German military presence in the region, Ursula von der Leyen asserted “this mission is one of our largest and most important in a country that has experienced like no other division, conflict and violence for decades”. She also emphasized that Kosovo was living a very important transition phase to peace and stability and that Germany had to help the country in this phase. Consequently, she announced that German military presence in Kosovo would be extended for one year.

News from Berlin – Berlin Global