The changeover ceremony in command of the Regional Command - West (RC-W) of the NATO - KFOR mission between the 11th Bersaglieri regiment of the "Ariete" brigade and the 1st regiment took place yesterday in Kosovo, at Camp Villaggio Italia. Bersaglieri of the "Garibaldi" brigade.
Numerous civil and military authorities were present at the ceremony, including the Joint Forces Operational Commander (COVI), General of the Army Corps Francesco Paolo Figliuolo, the Commander of KFOR, Major General Özkan Ulutaş, accompanied by the Deputy Commander, General of brigade Federico Bernacca, the Italian ambassador to Kosovo, Antonello De Riu, the representatives of international organizations, the religious authorities and the mayors of the municipalities of western Kosovo.
The symbolic passing of the NATO flag between Colonel Gabriele Vacca and his peer Francesco Ferrara, marked the change in leadership of the RC-W, a multinational unit composed mainly of Italian soldiers.
General Figliuolo, in bringing to the national contingent the greetings of the Minister of Defense Crosetto and the Chief of Defense Staff Admiral Cavo Dragone, expressed words of appreciation for the results achieved during a mission that was conducted in a complex reality such as the Balkan one, particularly known to General Figliuolo, who was commander of the NATO forces in Kosovo between 2014 and 2015.
“In these six months of mission you have demonstrated courage, tenacity and a sense of humanity. You have been a bulwark in defense of the values of freedom and respect for human rights. You have been appreciated for your continuous and constructive dialogue with the representatives of public life in this country, which is still affected by inter-ethnic tensions that have never completely subsided", said General Figliuolo. Then, addressing the incoming contingent, he added: “Justice, respect for the rule of law and the dignity of people, whatever their ethnicity or religion. These must be the values that should inspire your daily actions over the next six months. You Bersaglieri of Cosenza are the heirs of that 18th regiment which in 1999, together with other departments of the Italian Army, entered this country to put an end to the atrocities committed during the war. Good luck!"
The outgoing RC-W commander, Colonel Gabriele Vacca, in his speech wanted to thank the feathered infantrymen of the 11th Bersaglieri Regiment and the contingents of other Nations with these words: “I would like this to be an opportunity to spontaneously address to you a thought of profound gratitude for the exceptional work carried out during these six months of mission. Your commitment, dedication and professionalism contributed significantly to the success of the kinetic and non-kinetic operations conducted under my command.".
The semester that has just ended saw the approximately 1.400 Italian soldiers present in Kosovo engaged in multiple operational, training, liaison activities with local institutions and civil-military cooperation in support of the institutions and the population.
Many patrolling activities were conducted in the entire area of operation, in particular in the administrative border area between Kosovo and Serbia; numerous exercises were also conducted, including the "Western Rumble" and the "Golden Saber", which took place in the autumn, as well as continuous training aimed at maintaining high standards of operational readiness.
Added to these are the frequent civil-military cooperation projects, with donations of health, educational and technological materials to hospitals, schools, non-governmental associations and local institutions, conducted both with Italian funds and with those provided by the KFOR mission, aimed at implementing the level of efficiency of the services made available to the population.
Furthermore, the frequent meetings with the mayors of the 15 municipalities of western Kosovo and with other representatives of the local political, civil and religious institutions were of absolute importance, as part of joint discussion tables on the topics of cooperation and the future of young people. .
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.
