German parliament extends military mission in Kosovo
June 19, 2015
The German army will continue is 16-year service in the breakaway region of Kosovo. Parliament is set to approve two other foreign military missions, leaving thousands of German soldiers stationed abroad.
Germany's oldest ongoing military mission on foreign soil was extended by one year on Friday after an overwhelming majority in parliament, the Bundestag, voted in favor of keeping Bundeswehr soldiers in Kosovo.
In total, 532 parliamentarians voted for the measure, with only 60 voting against. The mission, called the Kosovo Force (KFOR), has been active in the former Serbian province since 1999. Currently, there are around 770 German soldiers stationed in the politically volatile, only somewhat internationally recognized state.
The Bundestag approved plans for stationing up to 1,850 soldiers for the mission that will cost around 47 million euros (53.3 million dollars) in the next 12 months.
On Friday, parliament also discussed the foreign missions in Mali and off the coast of Libya, which they are set to vote on soon. Both grand coalition parties, the Christian Democrats (CDU) and Social Democrats (SPD) are known to support the continuation of these missions, making their approval almost certain.
The Bundeswehr currently has a total of 2,600 stationed outside Germany.
es/jil (AFP, dpa)