US State Dept OKs sale of anti-tank missiles to Kosovo

"Kosovo will get prepared against anyone who will threaten our sovereignty but also we will be ready to contribute for the world peace as part of joint international operations," Maqedonci said. While ethnic Albanians comprise the great majority of Kosovo's 1.8 million people, 50,000 Serbs in its north reject Kosovo statehood and have often clashed with Kosovo police.

The U.S. State Department has approved a potential sale of Javelin anti-tank missiles to Kosovo for an estimated $75 million, the Pentagon said on Thursday.

The Javelin missiles are made by a joint venture between Lockheed Martin and RTX Corp and the two companies are listed as the prime contractors for a possible sale, according to a statement from the Pentagon. "The proposed sale will improve Kosovo's long-term defense capacity to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity to meet its national defense requirements," the Pentagon said.

Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008 after a guerrilla uprising and a 1999 NATO intervention, though Serbia does not recognize Kosovar independence. Kosovo, which is recognized as a state by more than 110 countries, requested to buy 246 Javelin missiles, the Pentagon said. The Pentagon's Defense Security Cooperation Agency notified the U.S. Congress of the possible sale on Thursday.

"Javelin missiles have shown in Ukraine and even earlier that they are effective, and they cover our needs to be ready to defend our country," Kosovo's Defense Minister Ejup Maqedonci told Reuters. "Kosovo will get prepared against anyone who will threaten our sovereignty but also we will be ready to contribute for the world peace as part of joint international operations," Maqedonci said.

While ethnic Albanians comprise the great majority of Kosovo's 1.8 million people, 50,000 Serbs in its north reject Kosovo statehood and have often clashed with Kosovo police. Unrest in the north intensified late last year after ethnic Albanian mayors took office in the Serb-majority area, a move that led the U.S. and its allies to rebuke Pristina. The Serb population had boycotted the elections.

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