Prime minister Iveta Radicova announced during her one-day visit to Sajkovic that Slovakia would gradually be pulling out its troops from the KFOR peacekeeping mission in Kosovo.
She mentioned how Slovakia’s contractual undertaking runs out this autumn and so the troops would soon start to be withdrawn. The withdrawal should be complete by the end of November, although the PM admits that there is no exact schedule for the move.
Claims that the Slovak unit of soldiers is being withdrawn because Slovakia did not recognise Kosovo’s independence, were rejected by Radicova. She pointed out that the contract was signed even before the Kosovo issue arose, and that the mission has gone on for 11 years.
She was cautious when asked if the current government might recognise Kosovo’s independence, saying only that this depended on talks between Serbia and Kosovo. “If this dialogue goes ahead, we’ve never said that our position is unchangeable” said the PM.