12 Nov. 2004

Moscow seminar examines situation in Kosovo Background NATO-Russia relations KFOR On 12 November, a seminar on “Kosovo: Five Years On” held in Moscow examined the evolution of the situation in Kosovo since the beginning of the NATO–led intervention in the region in 1999. The high-level event was organized by the Institute of Scientific Information on Social Sciences (INION). NATO co-sponsored the event, as part of its public diplomacy activities in the Russian Federation. Participants included representatives of the Embassy of Serbia and Montenegro, officials of the Russian Foreign Ministry, General Staff, the Head of the EU Commission Mission to the Russian Federation, defence attaches and representatives of diplomatic missions to the Russian Federation as well as leading Russian experts on the Balkans. There was broad agreement that as Kosovo’s status has not been finally settled yet, it still remains a challenge for European security and international organizations such as NATO and the EU, and an issue that affects NATO-Russia relations. Speaking on behalf of NATO, Ambassador Dan Speckhard, Head of NATO’s Department for Political Planning, said that for the Alliance Kosovo had demonstrated the need for new crisis management models. This included in particular a multi-level approach involving not just military but also political, economic and humanitarian means, as well as the importance of joint efforts of the international community and coordination with local civil institutions and NGOs, he stressed.