Kosovo has signed a contract for the purchase of 14 armored military vehicles from Turkey, according to sources for Radio Free Europe.
Sources from the Kosovo Security Force reported the purchase of four Vuran type vehicles, as well as ten KIRPI type vehicles, also equipped with weapons.
The purchases are also financed by Turkey, which donates EUR 9.7 million a year in military equipment each year.
“All these armored vehicles are multifunctional devices. Some of them are expected to arrive in Kosovo early next year,” a KSF official was quoted as saying by Radio Free Europe.
Vuran vehicles are manufactured by the Turkish commercial military equipment company, BMC Otomotiv in cooperation with the largest defense equipment firm, Aselsan.
Purchases of military equipment were most likely made as part of a plan to transform the Kosovo Security Force into a full-fledged army.
The Assembly of Kosovo approved the legal changes in 2018 and it is thought that the transition will require 10 years.
During this time, the country will also increase its military budget, which is currently the lowest in the region.
Albania recently purchased military drones from Turkey, at a cost of EUR 8 million which it funded itself.
