Kosovo: Minister Trenta visits the Italian contingent

(To KFOR)
19/09/18

Yesterday the visit of the Defense Minister Elisabetta Trenta and the Chief of Defense General Staff was held. Claudio Graziano.

Minister Trenta was greeted by the commander of the Kosovo Force, Major General Salvatore Cuoci, with whom, during a meeting, he discussed the current situation in the country and in the Balkan region. Soon after, he was able to meet the president of Kosovo, Hahim Thaci, and Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj. On the occasion of these visits to the highest Kosovar institutional offices, he signed a Memorandum of understanding which establishes a collaboration between the Italian Armed Forces and the Kosovo Security Forces.

At the end of the morning in the capital, Minister Trenta met the Italian soldiers of the Camp Film City base, the headquarters of the Kosovo Force (KFOR) headquarters. After the greeting address of gen. Cuoci, first the Chief of Defense Staff and then the Minister spoke. In their speeches, both underlined how the commitment of the Italian military is internationally recognized and appreciated and thanked them for the professionalism and dedication with which they carry out their daily work giving prestige to the Armed Forces and to Italy in a multinational context. . In the afternoon, Minister Trenta, accompanied by gen. Graziano greeted the staff of the Multinational Battle Group West - an Italian-led multinational unit made up of Italians, Slovenes, Austrians and Moldovans, responsible for the western sector of Kosovo - at the base called Camp Villaggio Italia in Peć / Peja.

The gen. Graziano wanted to recall the commitment of the Italian Armed Forces in the theater "since entering Kosovo in the 1999, and all the way that has been covered since then, because thanks to your commitment this area like many others have a chance for the future". Minister Trenta also highlighted how the KFOR operation is an important element of stability for the Balkan area, addressing a "appreciation to all the men and women of MNBG-W for the fundamental contribution they make every day to the success of this mission ... be proud of these results, be proud to have the hearts and minds of the Kosovar people on your side, as well as us in Italy we are proud of you". Afterwards, the delegation went on a visit to the Visoki Dečani Monastery: near this important Orthodox site of worship - a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2004 - the soldiers of the MNBG-W, commanded by col. Ruggero Cucchini, carry out continuous monitoring tasks. Minister Trenta and gen. Graziano then had a brief conversation with the abbot Father Sava JANJIC, before returning to Priština / Prishtinë.

KFOR, currently led by Major General Salvatore Cuoci, is the most successful NATO mission that has seen the Italian Armed Forces engaged since 1999. To date, about 4000 soldiers from 28 different countries participate in the operation called "Joint Enterprise". the Italian contingent has over 500 soldiers assigned to various multinational units all under Italian leadership such as the Multinational Battle Group West (MNBG-W), the Multinational Specialized Unit (MSU) of the Carabinieri, the Joint Regional Detachment - South East (JRD - SE), as well as in numerous positions of responsibility at the headquarters in Priština / Prishtinë.