"So-called 'Kosovo army' unacceptable to us"

"So-called 'Kosovo army' unacceptable to us"

During his meeting with Italian Ambassador to Serbia Carlo Lo Cascio, Vulin said that Serbia appreciated the professional engagement of Italian troops in the KFOR mission in Kosovo and Metohija.

The announced transformation of the "Kosovo Security Forces" to a so-called "Kosovo army" is completely unacceptable to Serbia as it would represent a gross violation of UN Resolution 1244 and the (1999) Kumanovo Military-Technical Agreement, Vulin said as he met with Italy's ambassador to Serbia.

Vulin and Lo Cascio also discussed "crucial issues of bilateral defense cooperation, and emphasized that defense cooperation with Italy was intense and content-rich, with the possibility of improvement," a Serbian MoD statement said.

Vulin also "pointed out that Serbia appreciates the professional engagement of members of the Italian armed forces in the KFOR mission in Kosovo, voicing his expectations that Italian soldiers will remain in the province as long as the security situation requires."

According to the press release, during the conversation, the Italian ambassador told Vulin that Italy "appreciates the role of the Serbian president in the Brussels dialogue on Kosovo."