The Upper House of the Swiss Parliament wants to extend the presence of Swiss troops in Kosovo until 2029. On Tuesday, it adopted a corresponding decision with 37 votes in favor, 2 against and 4 abstentions.
Since October 1999, the Swiss army has been participating in NATO's international peacekeeping mission in Kosovo (KFOR) with its contingent called Swisscoy, Swiss media report.
Currently, the maximum number of members of the Swiss army is 215, while the current mandate ends at the end of 2026.
The Swiss government has asked the two chambers of the federal parliament to extend the mandate until the end of 2029, keeping the number of troops unchanged.
However, the government is seeking to be given the authority to increase the number of personnel by up to thirty people, in case the security situation deteriorates and KFOR requires reinforcements.
Defense Minister Martin Pfister stated that the situation is currently calm, but it remains unstable, especially in northern Kosovo, where inter-ethnic tensions continue.
In 2023, serious security incidents prompted NATO to reinforce KFOR twice.
NATO and participating countries are of the opinion that KFOR should remain until relations between Kosovo and Serbia are normalized.
By law, Swisscoy's commitment must be approved by parliament.
After the Upper House (Ständerat), the Lower House (Nationalrat) comes next. The budget for 215 members of the military amounts to 48,9 million francs. /Telegraph/
