The KFOR command expects that the institutions in Pristina will ask for the approval of the commander of the international military forces regarding the use of "Bajraktar TB2" drones, which has primary jurisdiction over the airspace above Kosovo and Metohija.
"Regarding the use of all categories of drones and related restrictions, including the TB-2 drone, in accordance with United Nations (UN) Security Council Resolution 1244 of 1999, the Kosovo Force Commander (KFOR) has primary authority over air space above Kosovo", stated in the KFOR press release.
It is explained that "the upper airspace of Kosovo can only be used for crossing Kosovo from one country to another by commercial flights, while the lower airspace can be used for special needs, on a case-by-case basis and with the prior approval of the KFOR commander."
"We expect the institutions in Kosovo to ensure coordination and to comply with existing procedures", warn from KFOR and add that they continue to support the development of the Kosovo Security Forces within their original mandate, including civil protection operations such as firefighting, removal of explosive ordnance, search and rescue and hazardous material spill response.
"KFOR remains fully focused on providing a safe environment and freedom of movement for all communities in Kosovo, in accordance with its aforementioned UN mandate," the statement underlined.
The Prime Minister in Pristina, Aljbin Kurti, announced that they had purchased a series of Turkish-made Bayraktar TB-2 drones.
"We have added Bayraktar TB-2 drones to the arsenal of our army, which we bought from Turkey as a government! In two years of rule, we have increased the number of soldiers by over 80 percent, and the budget for the army by over 100 percent," Kurti wrote in the post, adding that the officers have completed training in handling drones.
The media in Pristina state that six drones were purchased from Turkey.
BG/RTS
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