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Slovak Troops No Longer Part of KFOR Military Mission
Friday 19 November 2010 Zoom in | Print page
Bratislava, November 19 (TASR) - Slovak troops have ended their participation in the KFOR mission and the last member of the armed forces left Kosovo on November 16, head of the Defence Ministry press department Ivan Rudolf confirmed for TASR on Friday.
"We're currently planning fewer yet higher-quality missions for the future. Our top priority, however, remains the ISAF operation in Afghanistan," said Rudolf.
Slovakia's armed forces had formed part of the KFOR mission launched by NATO since September 7, 1999. In the early stages, 40 Slovak servicemen were deployed to Kosovo, but the number later rose to 138.
Parliament officially passed a proposal to end the involvement of Slovak troops in this military operation on October 26.
During her visit to Kosovo in September, Prime Minister Iveta Radicova denied that Slovak troops were being withdrawn because of Slovakia's refusal to recognise the independence of Kosovo.
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