Turkish soldiers contribute to security and peace in Kosovo: Premier

By Eren Beksac and Talha Ozturk

BELGRADE, Serbia (AA) – Turkish soldiers serving as part of a peacekeeping mission in Kosovo are contributing to regional peace and security, said Kosovo’s prime minister on Thursday.

Albin Kurti's remarks came after receiving Turkish Ambassador to Pristina Sabri Tunc Angili to discuss the possibility of deepening and increasing cooperation in bilateral relations and common interests.

The Turkish NATO reinforcements began arriving in Kosovo last week, amid Serb protests against the election of Albanian mayors in northern municipalities – which have a large ethnic Serb population – where ethnic tensions have also impacted its northeastern neighbor, Serbia.

Around 500 Turkish soldiers have arrived and are stationed at Camp Sultan Murat, near the capital Pristina.

The Turkish soldiers “contributed to security and peace in Kosovo,'' said the statement from prime minister's office.

The Turkish unit has been deployed in Zubin Potok, a Serb-dominated municipality in northern Kosovo, as of Thursday morning to keep the peace, according to NATO's Kosovo Force (KFOR) spokesperson Andrea Galieni.

Turkish soldiers and armored vehicles in KFOR have been deployed around the municipality.

At the same time, Kosovo Serbs continue to protest in front of four town halls in northern Kosovo.

Amid the unrest in Kosovo, the Turkish commando battalion, consisting of some 500 soldiers, was deployed at the request of the NATO Joint Force Command.

- Tension flares up after local elections

Tensions rose in Kosovo following the election of ethnic Albanian mayors in four northern districts in April. Albanians are Kosovo’s main ethnic group, but ethnic Serbs predominate in the north, near the border with Serbia.

The Serbs have been protesting the election of the mayors since late May.

At least 30 NATO peacekeeping KFOR soldiers were injured on May 29 while clashing with protesting Serbs who were trying to block one of the new mayors from taking his oath of office.

More than 53 civilians were also injured by shock bombs and tear gas, according to hospital sources.

On May 26, Serbia’s president ordered the army to move closer to the border with Kosovo and placed it on high alert. Serbia does not recognize Kosovo’s independence, declared in 2008.