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Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has called on Western countries to stop the provocative actions of the Kosovo government in Pristina and prevent a new war in the Balkans (Southeast Europe).
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| Special forces on the streets of Kosovo |
Growing instability
Tensions flared in Kosovo after Serbia announced the capture of three Kosovo special forces soldiers on Serbian territory. The Serbian President met with the ambassadors of the Quinta group (US, UK, Germany, France, Italy); the head of the Permanent Mission of the European Union (EU) to Serbia; General Michele Ristuccia, commander of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) KFOR peacekeeping force in Kosovo and Metohija (KiM) “to ask them to do everything in their power and not let a new war happen in the Balkans”.
Meanwhile, Kosovo's law enforcement chief Albin Kurti called on the international community to pressure Belgrade to release the three policemen. On June 14, Kosovo also imposed an entry ban on all vehicles transporting goods and supplies from central Serbia. President Vucic accused Kosovo of preventing Serbs in the north of the territory from getting food and medicine.
Kosovo - a territory with a population mainly of ethnic Albanians, was once a province of Serbia, but unilaterally declared independence in 2008. To this day, Serbia does not recognize it and still considers it part of its territory.
Unrest in the region has increased since April elections, after Kosovo's chief executive Albin Kurti decided to appoint a series of ethnic Albanian mayors in Serb-majority areas.
Recent tensions in Kosovo have also prompted NATO to send more troops to the region. The alliance said it would send an additional 700 troops to Kosovo, bringing NATO's troop strength there to 4,700.
EU losing patience
Tensions between Serbia and Kosovo have raised fears of a repeat of the 1998-1999 conflict in Kosovo that killed more than 10,000 people, mostly ethnic Albanians. The United States has joined the EU and other Western countries in calling on both Kosovo and Belgrade to take immediate steps to de-escalate tensions, including the unconditional release of three detained Kosovo police officers. Serbian prosecutors said the three Kosovo officers were suspected of illegally possessing weapons and explosives and would be tried according to the law.
To date, dialogue between the Serbian and Kosovo governments remains deadlocked. Pristina (the capital and largest city of Kosovo) has taken actions that, while legal, have had the effect of raising tensions on the ground, while the international community is looking for a strategy to cool things down.
In particular, the EU is increasingly dissatisfied with the actions of the Kosovo government, especially the appointment of mayors of Albanian origin in cities with large Serb communities.
According to AP, the EU believes that the Pristina government is responsible for the tensions in northern Kosovo. The EU also warned that the Kosovo government must face “political consequences” for its actions. For now, there are no sanctions, but only “restrictive measures,” such as suspending high-level visits and contacts.
Among the measures, the EU could also theoretically stop financial support for the Kosovo government. The EU has invited the leaders of Serbia and Kosovo to meet in Brussels next week in an attempt to ease tensions.
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