The ceremony that saw Colonel Daniele Pisani hand over to the same rank Natale Gatti the command of the Regional Command West, the multinational unit of KFOR that operates in the western area of Kosovo, took place on Friday at the base of “Villaggio Italia”. The change at the top also sanctioned the alternation between the 24th “Peloritani” land artillery regiment of Messina and the 17th “Sforzesca” anti-aircraft artillery regiment based in Sabaudia, in the province of Latina. The ceremony was attended by the Ambassador of Italy in Kosovo Piero Cristoforo Sardi and Major General Michele Risi, commander of the KFOR mission, as well as religious, civil and military authorities.
In his farewell address, the outgoing commander thanked the seven hundred men and women of the seven nations that make up the unit - Italy, Slovenia, Austria, Poland, Switzerland, Turkey and Moldova - for the efforts made and goals achieved in ensuring security and stability, contributing at the same time to the cultural, social and economic development of the west region of Kosovo and to the protection of the historical-religious heritage, by safeguarding the Visoki-Decane monastery, symbol of the Orthodox Christian religion, from the 2004 declared UNESCO heritage of which the RC-W is the first responsible.
Colonel Pisani also thanked the mayors of the fifteen municipalities included in the area of operations of the Command for the relationship of trust established with KFOR, adding that "The collaboration that has lasted for twenty years has allowed the realization of numerous projects in favor of education and health". Reviewing the salient moments of his mandate, he then cited the review of the Regional Command West, which since last August has placed three maneuvering units and twelve teams for monitoring and connection with the population and local authorities under a single Command . Finally, addressing the new contingent, Colonel Pisani highlighted the importance of the continuity of the efforts made by the international community, in order to guarantee the essential conditions for security and stability.
General Risi, after delivering the flag of the Regional Command West to Colonel Gatti, pointed out "Italy's leading role in NATO's international mission and in particular in the western region, in which the Italian contingent has been contributing to the stability of the Western Balkans and the development of a secure and peaceful Kosovo for twenty years".
