Hargreaves: Britain proud of its role in Kosovo in 1999, Specialist Chambers verdicts do not undermine statehood

The United Kingdom’s Ambassador to Kosovo, Jonathan Hargreaves, has recalled NATO’s intervention in Kosovo in 1999, stressing that British troops entered through Hani i Elezit as part of the mission authorised by UN Security Council Resolution 1244.

Hargreaves said Slobodan Milošević’s policies led to documented war crimes and repression in Kosovo, while hundreds of thousands of Albanians were forced to flee the country or were displaced within Kosovo.

According to him, the UN Security Council, including Russia, had repeatedly expressed concern over the grave humanitarian situation, while Milošević’s rejection of peace efforts, in Hargreaves’ words, led to NATO’s air campaign and its intervention in Kosovo in 1999.

“The United Kingdom is proud of its role in Kosovo in 1999 and ever since,” the ambassador said, reiterating British support for international justice, accountability and respect for the decisions of international tribunals.

He also touched on Kosovo’s Specialist Chambers, saying Kosovo had taken the difficult decision to establish and support them, aware that they could investigate well-known figures from organisations that played a central role in the liberation war.

According to Hargreaves, Kosovo’s readiness to uphold the principle that no one is above the law sets an important example for the region as well.

Speaking about the Specialist Chambers’ recent verdicts, the British ambassador stressed that they concern individual responsibility, not the state of Kosovo.

“The recent convictions concern individual crimes committed against victims from different communities. They in no way constitute a judgement on Kosovo’s statehood, sovereignty or its right to determine its future, which the United Kingdom will continue to defend vigorously,” Hargreaves said.

He also recalled that those convicted have the right to appeal the verdicts.

Hargreaves’ position is in line with the British Government’s official statement following the Specialist Chambers’ verdict on 16 September 2026, when London stressed that the decisions concern individuals and do not constitute a judgement on Kosovo’s statehood, sovereignty or its right to determine its future.

Finally, the ambassador said the United Kingdom remains committed to the truth about the Western Balkans and long-term reconciliation, pledging continued cooperation with regional and international partners in support of peace, justice and a sustainable future for all communities, as Telegrafi reports.