(ANSA) - BELGRADE, 14 OTT - "We are resuming command with General Vergori, and we do so with a commitment that will last even if KFOR scales back its operations in Kosovo, because the Balkans are an essential component of our security. Securing the Balkans—and potentially installing radars there in the future to defend both these nations and our own country against threats—is critical," said the Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto on the sidelines of the KFOR mission change-of-command ceremony in Pristina. "When you consider that the missiles that struck Saudi Arabian airports were built by the Houthis—not by sophisticated engineers—and reached speeds of 8,500 kilometres per hour, you realise the nature of the threats that all nations will face in the future. It emphasises the importance of maintaining a presence in friendly border countries in order to build a joint defence shield capable of countering such threats," Crosetto added. (ANSA).