The appalling atrocities, human rights abuses, and conflict in Kosovo, and the Western Balkans more widely in the 1990s, represented a dark era in the history of Europe, and its security.
Throughout that period, under successive Governments, Ireland consistently engaged in multilateral efforts to bring that conflict and the others in the region to an end, at the earliest possible juncture. Ireland, the EU, and the international community more broadly, did its utmost to find a peaceful solution to the Kosovo conflict, undertaking intensive efforts to negotiate an agreement which would have provided a peaceful solution and which was fair for both parties in the conflict. Regrettably, this was not possible to achieve at the time, and the efforts of the international community to act to protect civilians at risk of human rights abuses were ultimately frequently frustrated.
Ireland’s position was, and remains, one of advocating for the UN Security Council, and other multilateral bodies charged with the maintenance of international peace and security, to assume their obligations and duties, while actively contributing to any efforts these bodies undertake.
In line with this, in addition to contributing humanitarian relief, Ireland also supported the adoption of Security Council Resolution 1244 (1999) on the situation relating to Kosovo, which provided a framework for the resolution of the conflict in Kosovo by authorising the deployment of an international civilian and military presence that would provide an international transitional administration and security presence that would oversee the return of refugees and the withdrawal of military forces from Kosovo. This facilitated the deployment of the KFOR mission, which Ireland made a substantial contribution to.
Ireland and the EU has continued ever since, to work towards the stabilisation of Kosovo, and we continue to stand firmly behind KFOR and the EU EULEX mission in fulfilling their respective mandates.
