Swiss newspaper: National Council wants to increase troops in Kosovo – Serbia lobbies behind the scenes for its interests

Switzerland's National Council is debating a significant increase in its military presence in Kosovo, potentially raising the troop contingent from the current 215 to 300 soldiers. The Swiss daily Neue Zürcher Zeitung (NZZ) reports that the parliamentary discussion on Thursday focused on extending the Swiss military engagement, which has been ongoing since 1999. While a majority in the Council favors extending the mission until the end of 2029 and increasing the contingent to 245, the Security Policy Commission proposes empowering the Federal Council to raise the number to 300.

The rationale behind the potential increase stems from European nations withdrawing forces from the Balkans to redeploy them to NATO's eastern flank or to support Ukraine. This withdrawal creates security vacuums that Switzerland is expected to help fill. However, the Swiss People's Party strongly opposes the expansion, citing documents received from Belgrade. The party argues the move is too expensive, useless, and a waste of resources, estimating the annual cost would rise from 49 million to 70 million francs if the troop number reaches 300. They also reiterate concerns that participation in international peacekeeping missions weakens Switzerland's traditional neutrality.

Defense Minister Martin Pfister downplayed neutrality concerns, emphasizing that Switzerland contributes to peace rather than providing military support. He highlighted Switzerland's dependence on a stable Balkan region, warning that renewed escalation could lead to internal tensions within Switzerland's large diaspora and significantly increase migration pressure. The Swiss People's Party representatives also raised allegations of human rights violations against the Serbian minority in Kosovo, citing a list provided by Ivan Trifunović, Serbia's ambassador to Switzerland. Trifunović claims Serbs in northern Kosovo face discrimination, intimidation, false accusations, imprisonment, and physical abuse, blaming Kosovo's Prime Minister Albin Kurti. Pfister responded that Swiss troops on the ground contribute to improving the situation, a stance echoed by criticism from the EU and US regarding Kurti's policies toward Kosovo Serbs.

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Srbi na severu Kosova su diskriminisani, zastrašivani i pod lažnim optužbama smeštani u zatvore, pa čak i tučeni.