US approves sale of anti-tank missiles to Kosovo amid Balkan tensions
The United States announced on Thursday its decision to sell anti-tank missiles to Kosovo in a bid to defend the "integrity" of the Balkan Peninsula territory, which Serbia has yet to acknowledge a quarter-century after a devastating war, as reported by AFP, cited by Agerpres.
Washington has approved Pristina's request to purchase 246 Javelin missiles, a weapon supplied by NATO to Ukraine for countering armoured vehicles of Russian forces, stated the Department of State.
The sale, including the missile-related equipment, amounts to $75 million, according to the ministry's statement.
"This agreement will enhance Kosovo's long-term capabilities to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity," added the US diplomacy.
Officially, the Congress still holds the power to block the sale, but it is deemed unlikely to do so.
This sale announcement comes at a time when Kosovo recently suspended the obligation for Serbian-registered vehicles travelling within its territory to conceal Serbian symbols on licence plates, shortly after a reciprocal decision by Serbia.
The European Union, leading the dialogue between the former adversaries, welcomed it as "a positive step."
Relations between Kosovo and Serbia have faced crisis since the war between Serbian forces and Albanian separatist rebels, ending in 1999 with NATO's intervention against Belgrade.
Kosovo, with a Serbian minority of 120,000 out of a total population of 1.8 million, declared independence from Serbia in 2008, a move never accepted by Belgrade.
Tensions escalated further in May as Albanian mayors were installed in four northern Kosovo cities with a Serbian majority after the Serbian electorate boycotted local elections.
The Kosovo issue remains a contentious topic for some Serbs, who view the territory as their national and religious cradle.
Despite historic support for Pristina, the United States expresses frustration with what they perceive as the inflexibility of Kosovo's Prime Minister, Albin Kurti.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
