The ceremony for the change in command of the Regional Command - West (RC-W) of the KFOR mission between the 9th alpine regiment of the alpine brigade took place today in Kosovo, at Camp "Villaggio Italia" Taurinense and the 11th Bersaglieri Regiment of the 132nd Armored Brigade Ram.
The symbolic passage of the NATO flag between Colonel Mario Bozzi and the Parisian Gabriele Vacca sanctioned the change at the helm of the RC-W, a multinational unit composed mainly of Italian soldiers and placed directly under the command of KFOR.
The ceremony was attended by the operational commander of joint forces (COVI), general of the army corps Francesco Paolo Figliuolo, the commander of KFOR, general of division Angelo Michele Ristuccia, the ambassador of Italy in Kosovo, Antonello De Riu and numerous local civil and religious authorities.
General Figliuolo, in bringing the greetings of Defense Minister Crosetto and Defense Chief of Staff Admiral Cavo Dragone to the Italian military, expressed words of appreciation for the results achieved by the national contingent during a mission that was conducted in a complex reality like the Balkan one, particularly known to General Figliuolo, who was commander of the NATO forces in Kosovo between 2014 and 2015.
“You have accomplished your mission with honor” – said the COVI commander – “You have been able to relate to the local population on an equal footing and this is a skill that not everyone has. You have been appreciated for the continuous and constructive dialogue with the representatives of public life in this country and this despite recent incidents whose causes are certainly not to be found in your work, which has been professional, impartial, respectful of the proportional use of strength and at the same time firm and determined”.
General Ristuccia, highlighted that “The Italian Contingent leaves a clear mark within the KFOR Mission, maintaining the highest standards of fairness and impartiality and creating conditions that have brought benefits to all communities living in Kosovo. The population appreciates you for the efforts you have made, including through the various CIMIC projects in support of local educational and health institutions. You have always set an example, committing yourselves to the good of all and providing local community leaders with lasting solutions for peaceful coexistence. I am proud of you men and women of RC-W – a success story!”.
The one just ended was a very demanding semester, which saw the Italian soldiers engaged in multiple operational, training and civil-military cooperation activities in support of the Kosovo institutions and populations. Among these, the COBWEB exercise, last March, which saw the contingent engaged for three days throughout the area of operations, the very recent BIG ROCK exercise, rather than the GOLDEN SABER, which saw crowd control activities, clearing roadblocks and clearing explosive ordnance. This last exercise was also carried out in coordination with the units of EULEX (European Union Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo), the European-led mission launched with the aim of assisting and supporting the country's authorities in developing a multi-ethnic and of Justice and to create divisions of Police and Customs Forces in line with international standards.
To these exercise activities have been added the many initiatives of donation of health, educational and technological materials to hospitals, Kosovar schools, sports associations. Among these, the NATURKOSOVO project, with which, together with national corps of mountain and speleological rescue, the Italian Defense wanted to boost the enhancement and protection of the Via Dinarica, in the municipalities of Pec, Decane and Junik. Also noteworthy is the recent meeting in Villaggio Italia between the mayors, councilors and representatives of minorities from all 15 municipalities of western Kosovo.
Before the military ceremony, General Figliuolo, accompanied by delegations from COVI and the KFOR command, went to the historic Orthodox monastery of Visoki-Decani, the only place of worship that since 1999 is still under the protection of KFOR soldiers. Here, the COVI commander met Father Janic Sava, abbot of the monastery.
Tomorrow, General Figliuolo will greet the Italian contingent deployed in Bosnia Herzegovina as part of the European mission Althea. The program also includes a meeting with a delegation from the Italian embassy in Sarajevo and with the Chief of Staff of the Bosnian Armed Forces.
General Figliuolo's visit to the military units deployed in the western Balkans is part of the coordination and management action that the operational command of interforce forces (COVI) exercises on the activities carried out by the contingents of the Italian Armed Forces deployed abroad.
