THE ROLE OF SLOVENIAN ARMY IN KOSOVO

Vloga Slovenske vojske na Kosovu Republika Slovenija (RS) ima tako kot večina držav na svetu lastno vojsko. Osnovna naloga vojske je zagotavljanje suverenosti in teritorialne celovitosti oziroma obramba lastnega ozemlja – države, z vstopom v različne zveze pa se je delovanje Slovenske vojske (SV) razširilo tudi izven meja Slovenije. Začetek sodelovanja SV v mednarodnih mirovnih misijah seže v leto 1997, ko je RS prvič napotila vojake na misijo v Albanijo s ciljem pomagati albanskim varnostnim organom ter skrbeti za javni red in mir, od takrat dalje pa se je sodelovanje v mednarodnih operacijah in misijah (MOM) samo še povečevalo. Posebno težo je to sodelovanje dobilo z vstopom RS v zvezo NATO in Evropsko skupnost. Takrat se je naša država zavezala, da bo spoštovala pravila, ki veljajo za vse države članice obeh organizacij. Ena od zavez je tudi sodelovanje v MOM pod okriljem omenjenih zvez. Ena od najpomembnejših misij, v kateri SV sodeluje že od samega začetka, je MOM na Kosovu. SV so dodeljene zahtevne naloge, ki jih zaradi dobrega poznavanja tamkajšnjih razmer tudi uspešno opravlja. Glede na razvoj dogodkov na Kosovu bodo morale mednarodne vojaške sile delovati na Kosovu še dolgo, saj je to v tem trenutku edini način, da se na tem prostoru ohranja mir.The role of Slovenian army in Kosovo Republic of Slovenia has its own army as do most of the world countries. The primary task of the army is ensuring the sovereignty and territorial integrity and defending its own territory – country respectively. By joining different associations the operation of Slovenian army has been extended beyond the borders of Slovenia. The beginning of participation of the Slovenian army in international peacekeeping missions dates back to year 1997 when the Republic of Slovenia deployed soldiers on a mission to Albania for the first time with the aim to assist the Albanian authorities to maintain law and order. Since then, the participation in international peacekeeping missions has risen. This participation was strengthened by entering NATO and the European Union. At that time our country has committed itself to respect the rules that apply to all member states of both organizations. One of its obligations is also participations in international peace operations under the auspices of these associations. One of the most important missions in which the Slovenian army has participated from the very beginning is the international peacekeeping mission in Kosovo. The Slovenian army are assigned challenging tasks, which are, due to good knowledge of local conditions, carried out successfully. Given the developments in Kosovo, the international military forces will have to operate in Kosovo for a long time, since this is momentarily the only way to maintain peace in this area