Minister Byrne to visit KFOR Mission Headquarters in Kosovo
- Foilsithe: 28 Iúil 2025
- An t-eolas is déanaí: 28 Iúil 2025
The Minister of State for European Affairs and Defence, Thomas Byrne, is travelling to Kosovo today (Monday, 28 July), to undertake a visit to the KFOR Mission Headquarters at Camp Film City, Kosovo.
KFOR is a NATO-led, UN-mandated peace-keeping mission, focused on building a secure environment for the citizens of Kosovo. Ireland has participated in KFOR since August 1999.
During his visit, Minister Byrne will meet with the KFOR Force Commander, Major General Enrico Barduani, and members of the Irish Defence Forces contingent participating in the KFOR mission, led by Colonel Darragh McKevitt.
Minister Byrne will be accompanied on the visit by the Secretary General of the Department of Defence, Jacqui McCrum, and the Chief of Staff of the Defence Forces, Lieutenant General Rossa Mulcahy.
During the visit, the Minister will also meet the Minister of Defence of Kosovo, Ejup Maqedonci.
Speaking in advance of the visit, Minister Byrne said:
“My visit to the KFOR Mission HQ in Kosovo reflects the commitment of the Irish government to peacekeeping globally. Through the participation of our Defence Forces, Ireland has worked alongside international partners to support peace and stability in Kosovo since 1999, and we want to see this valuable peacekeeping work continue. I look forward to meeting with members of the Irish Defence Forces serving in the KFOR mission and offering them my sincere thanks for their service, commitment and valuable work.”
Commenting on Ireland’s co-operation with NATO under Partnership for Peace, Minister Byrne added:
“Ireland’s engagement with NATO, through Partnership for Peace, has provided our Defences Forces with valuable opportunities since 1999 for useful and pragmatic collaboration, in our contribution to peacekeeping globally, and in adherence with our policy of military neutrality. Ireland’s relationship with NATO, through Partnership for Peace, has proved successful and has acted to improve the inter-operability of our Defence Forces, including through our participation in UN, and EU missions, overseas.”
Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Rossa Mulcahy stated:
“It is always a great privilege to visit Irish troops deployed on operational service overseas. We have a longstanding legacy with the KFOR mission, which we've contributed to since 1999. Our personnel now work in key appointments in the HQ Support Group.
“Operating at this level is a testimony to the military education system of Óglaigh na hÉireann. Participation in KFOR provides us with the opportunity to develop our military capabilities and to improve our interoperability with partner nations. It also ensures that we remain abreast of evolving threats and developments in the European regional defence environment.”
Notes
KFOR is a NATO-led, UN-mandated peace-keeping mission which focuses on building a secure environment for the citizens of Kosovo. The role of KFOR is to support the maintenance of civil law and order within Kosovo so as to develop a climate of safety and security. KFOR consists of approximately 4,741 troops provided by 33 allied and partner countries.
Ireland has participated in KFOR since August 1999, following government and Dáil approval in that year. In June of this year, the government approved the continued provision of up to 13 members of the Permanent Defence Force for service with KFOR for a 12-month period up to 30 June 2026. Defence Forces personnel hold staff appointments in KFOR Headquarters in Pristina.
Ireland’s relationship with NATO is set within the framework of the Partnership for Peace (PfP), which Ireland joined in 1999. The relationships between NATO and its partners are based on the principle of self-differentiation, allowing partners to determine the specific elements of cooperation and the closeness of the relationship. To date, the primary aim of Ireland's PfP participation has been to enhance the Defence Forces' interoperability with other professional military forces to enable their participation in multilateral peacekeeping and peace-support operations, for example, joint Irish-Polish UNIFIL battalion.