Macedonia: US will help Kosovo build air capacity

Minister of Defense, Ejup Maqedonci, said that with the approval of the agreement in the field of defense, cooperation with the United States expands to areas in which there was no agreement before. At the press conference after the Government meeting, Maqedonci also spoke about the statement of NATO Secretary General, Mark Rutte, on the mandate of the Kosovo Security Force and the construction of the ammunition factory.

The United States of America will support Kosovo in building its air capabilities and defense industry, Defense Minister Ejup Maqedonci said on Wednesday. He made the remarks after a government meeting, which approved the initiative to conclude a framework agreement for cooperation with the United States of America (US) in the field of defense.

With this agreement, Macedonia has said that cooperation with the US is expanding to other areas, for which there has previously been no agreement.

"We have the support of the US for the purchase of helicopters, as we do for the purchase of many other systems that we will have in the KSF, within the framework of the third phase of the transition that foresees the construction of these capacities, which means the period from now until 2028," emphasized the Minister of Defense, who on Wednesday had a meeting with the Commander of the US Army for Europe and Africa, Christopher Donahue.

Speaking about the agreement, Macedonia announced that it consists of five points: defense planning and governance, management of human and defense resources, building strategic military capacities, cooperation for the purpose of regional and international engagement, and strategic sustainability.

"The US will support the Republic of Kosovo in building strategic military capacities, including air defense, air capabilities and other areas that we are working to build in the third phase of transition," said the Macedonian.

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According to Makedonci, the agreement also foresees US support in the technical and procedural aspects of Kosovo's journey towards membership in the North Atlantic Alliance (NATO).
"Through this agreement, the US has pledged to support us, in technical, procedural and other aspects, Kosovo's path towards NATO membership, but also in regional initiatives," he said. The Macedonian announced that he had agreed on this agreement with American officials during his visit to the US in January of this year, adding that the agreement is similar to the defense pact that Kosovo reached with Turkey last year.

Regarding the ammunition factory, Maqedonci said that assessments are being made for the location, but added that the greatest likelihood is that it will be built in the western part of Kosovo.
"Of course, for us it is very important that it be built in a safe place, out of the range of danger that could come to this factory and most likely that it will be built in the western part of our country," he said.

Minister Macedonci also commented on the statement of NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, who during Tuesday's visit to Pristina qualified the KSF as a humanitarian force. Macedonci said that this statement is within the framework of NATO's neutral stance towards the constitutional changes to the army's mandate, while adding that work is being done to have the North Atlantic Alliance recognize the new mandate of the KSF.

At the press conference, the Macedonian was also asked about the possibility of an eventual reduction of the US military presence within the NATO mission in Kosovo, KFOR. He said that Kosovo continues to have confirmation that the US military will be within KFOR.

"In addition to the American military presence within KFOR, we are interested and continue to discuss with the US about an American military presence outside the KFOR mandate, that is, in a bilateral aspect, being part of joint activities with the KSF in Kosovo," he said, mentioning training and the provision of space for "joint strategic purposes."

The issue of reconsidering Washington's official position in Europe began to circulate after statements by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth in February, when he said that Europeans cannot expect the US military presence on the continent to last forever.

Of the nearly 100.000 US troops in Europe, 600 are in Kosovo as part of KFOR, which has a total of around 4.600 members. Days ago, the US Department of Defense said that there are currently no planned changes to the position of their forces.

The US has provided ongoing support to the defense and security structures in Kosovo, providing training for members of the security structures, supporting the transformation of the KSF into an army, but also through the donation of various military equipment.

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In the past, Kosovo has reached agreements with the US, but also with other countries, to send KSF members to peacekeeping missions abroad.

In addition to the initiative for the agreement with the US, a number of other decisions were also approved at Wednesday's Government meeting. Among them is the one for a regulatory project, for the expropriation of properties, for the conclusion of agreements with Albania for cross-border cooperation, as well as for the conclusion of agreements with Great Britain and Ireland on legal issues.