Kosovo and Turkey have signed an interstate agreement in the field of defense, respectively for the supply of items and products for defense services.

According to the Ministry of Defense, the Kosovar Minister, Armend Mehaj, signed this agreement with the head of the Presidency of the Turkish Defense Industry, Ismail Demir.

“This agreement has an extraordinary role in building the capacity of the Kosovo Security Force”, it is said in the announcement of the Ministry of Defense of Kosovo.

Minister Mehaj thanked the state of Turkey for its support in the field of defense and said that such support is important for Kosovo’s goal of NATO membership.

Turkey, a NATO member, has assisted the KSF in recent years, mainly through donations.

Last year, Radio Free Europe reported that the KSF receives about 100 million Turkish lira a year as a donation, which it then nationalizes for the purchase of military equipment from Turkey.

In 2021, Kosovo also had a contract with the Turkish state for the purchase of 14 armored military vehicles, Vuran, and weapons equipment.

Turkey had previously donated Cobra type armored vehicles to the KSF.