Twenty years since the Italian contingent entered Kosovo

(To Army Majority State)
20/09/19

Concluded with a military ceremony in Piazza Carlo II, in the presence of the Chief of Staff of the Army Corps General Salvatore Farina, of the General Commander of the Carabinieri Corps General of Army Corps Giovanni Nistri, of the former commanders of the the Italian contingent in Kosovo, the mayor of Caserta and other local authorities, the two-day celebrations for the twentieth anniversary of the entry of the Italian contingent in Kosovo, which took place in June of the 1999.

The demonstration was officially opened yesterday in the halls of the Royal Palace of Caserta with the historic conference reminiscent held by the general of the army corps (in quiescence) Mauro Del Vecchio, first commander of the Italian contingent in Kosovo and commander of the "Garibaldi" Bersaglieri brigade which he retraced the entry into the Kosovar territories of the Italian military telling his experience, also accompanied by that of the other commanders present, including the army corps general Carlo Cabigiosu, the first Italian commander of the KFOR NATO Force.
A photographic video exhibition related to the events of that period was set up as a corollary to the conference.

During the military ceremony in the square, where the wards and many of the protagonists who in 1999 started the mission, were present, General Farina, also a former commander of Kosovo Force from September 2013 to September 2014, underlined how much KFOR is a important mission that contributes to the stabilization of the Western Balkans and, in broader terms, of the whole of Europe; adding that in this context the Italian Army plays a primary role both for maintaining security in the area and for integrating regional actors with the European Union. He then continued: "Our cultural tradition based on dialogue and respect for others and the careful and constant training of our military have been fundamental elements in obtaining trust, synergy, dialogue and respect between the parties in Kosovo. The Italian commanders and soldiers of the Army, of the Carabinieri and of the Air Force and of the Navy who over the years have operated in Kosovo have always shown very high preparation and firm determination in the field, combining the proportionate use of force with a proactive and impartial attitude among the set off. Only with a multidimensional approach, coordinated and integrated with every other subject operating in the field, it is possible to obtain great results. These aspects are in fact the basis of the motto MORE TOGHETER that I coined during my term as commander of KFOR.

The mission in Kosovo, under the name of KFOR (Kosovo Force) began the 12 June 1999, under mandate of the United Nations, with the adoption, by the Security Council of the 1244 Resolution, which authorized the use of a military contingent initially composed of about 50000 soldiers from NATO countries and other allies. Thus, the Italian contingent of approximately 6.500 men from the "Garibaldi" brigade unit and specialist assets of other Armed Forces entered Kosovo at midnight on the same day and reached the city of Pec on the morning of 14 June 1999. The western brigade (MNB-W) was assigned the responsibility of the western area to the Italian brigade.

28 countries currently participate in the "Joint Enterprise" operation in Kosovo, with a total commitment of forces of about 4000 units, and the Kosovo Force Command is continuously entrusted to an Italian Army general by the 2013.