It took place this morning in Camp "Film City", in the presence of the President of Kosovo, Hashim Thaçi, the commander of the Allied Joint Force Command of Naples, Admiral Michelle Howard and the Chief of Defense, General Claudio Graziano, the exchange ceremony at the top of the NATO multinational mission, Kosovo Force (KFOR).
Division General Guglielmo Luigi Miglietta, at the end of his thirteen-month mandate, was alternated by Division General Giovanni Fungo.
As evidence of the strong bond of collaboration between local and international institutions with KFOR, the main religious, civil and military authorities of Kosovo and the international community were present at the ceremony.
"KFOR, one of the most reliable institutions in Kosovo, makes a decisive contribution to the security and progress of the region," said President Thaçi, expressing gratitude and thanks to General Miglietta for the important results achieved by the multinational military force in his term of office.
The Chief of Defense Staff, General Graziano, in his speech, underlined the importance of the KFOR mission, once again assigned to the leadership of Italy, in an area like the Balkan one which today, more than ever, is a crossroads of crises from regions surrounding Europe.
In his speech, General Miglietta underlined that "the number of soldiers making up the KFOR units is, today, ten times lower than in 1999 but the importance of their presence and the role that KFOR plays, as a determining and essential factor for the stabilization and normalization of the region is ten times higher than at that time ”.
"The security conditions in Kosovo have considerably improved thanks to the presence and long-term commitment of the KFOR military and, moreover, thanks to dialogue and cooperation with all local and international actors," concluded Generale Miglietta.
Italy is among the main nations participating in the KFOR mission (composed of 31 Nations), with more than 550 soldiers from all the armed forces and from the Carabinieri. The focus is mainly on the progress of the "revitalization" of the Mitrovica bridge, a symbol of strong inter-ethnic division between the Serbs and the Albanians, where the carabinieri of the Multinational Specialized Unit (MSU) guarantee the safety of the area.
Another sensitive site, in the western sector of the region, is represented by the Orthodox monastery of Decane, where the soldiers of the Italian contingent of the Multinational Battle Group-West, are the first responsible for security.
Italy from the 1999 is present on the front line in Kosovo and, during the 17 years, many Italian general 7 took turns at the command of KFOR.
