Mojsilovic presses KFOR commander on Serb safety in Kosovo
Serbia's Chief of the General Staff met the new KFOR commander in Belgrade two days after he took over, and raised the safety of Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija.
Serbian Army Chief of the General Staff General Milan Mojsilovic met KFOR commander Major General Roberto Vergori in Belgrade on Friday, October 16, 2026, two days after Vergori took up his post. According to a Serbian Army statement, also carried by the Ministry of Defense, the two discussed the security situation in Kosovo and Metohija, the problems of the Serb community, and the steps the Serbian Army and KFOR are taking to preserve peace.
What did Mojsilovic tell the KFOR commander?
Mojsilovic described the security situation in Kosovo and Metohija as delicate, the statement says. He said Serbs in the province do not feel safe and that their basic rights and freedoms are under threat. He also said the Serbian Army sees KFOR as the only legitimate armed formation in Kosovo and Metohija.
He asked Vergori to carry out the mandate of the international security force consistently and impartially, in line with UN Security Council Resolution 1244 and other signed agreements, and to ensure a safe environment and freedom of movement, above all for Serbs.
According to the same statement, both sides stressed the importance of open, direct communication between the Serbian Army and KFOR at every level, so they can monitor the situation on the ground and prevent a crisis from starting or escalating. Mojsilovic congratulated Vergori on his appointment and said he expects cooperation during his term to be professional and geared toward preserving peace and stability in the region.
Who is Vergori, and what came before the meeting?
Vergori took command of KFOR on October 14 at the Film City base in Pristina, succeeding Turkish General Ozkan Ulutas. Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto attended the ceremony. We reported on the handover earlier, and RTS notes that Vergori is the fifteenth Italian commander of the mission and previously led the western sector of the UNIFIL mission in Lebanon.
Before the meeting in Belgrade, Vergori and Allied Joint Force Command Naples commander Admiral George M. Wikoff toured northern Kosovo, where they met the mayor of Zubin Potok, Milos Perovic.
KFOR has been in Kosovo since June 1999 under UN Security Council Resolution 1244. According to RTS, it numbers about 4,600 troops from 31 countries, and its Italian contingent of about 900 personnel is the largest national one. RTS adds that NATO is gradually adjusting the mission’s structure and activities in light of the general improvement in the security situation, and that a deterioration could call for a different scale of international presence.
The Serbian Army statement does not say whether another meeting has been agreed.
