Belgium's Defence Minister, Theo Francken, and his Kosovar vis-a-vis Ejup Makedonci quietly signed a military cooperation agreement at the end of July, according to a report published on Friday on the De Tijd website.
According to the newspaper, th agreement was intended to create goodwill for the construction of a prison in Kosovo where undocumented persons convicted of crimes in Belgium can be sent.
The cooperation agreement was signed during the IDEF international defence fair in Istanbul. It is a declaration of intent in which both countries indicate their willingness to cooperate on the development of their defence industries.
"Belgium is taking its responsibility seriously and actively contributing to stability in the Western Balkans,"Minister Francken told De Tijd. "This letter of intent is no coincidence, but a conscious choice to deepen our historical ties with Kosovo and strengthen security in Europe," Minister Francken told De Tijd.
Such an agreement is a sensitive issue in Serbia, which has never recognised Kosovo's independence and considers the area an autonomous province. Political tensions between the two countries have been rising again recently. According to the newspaper, this may explain why the Belgian defence minister did not announce the cooperation agreement publicly.
