The city is divided into a part inhabited mainly by Albanians and a part by Serbs.
(Photo: Reuters)
Riga The tense situation in Kosovo is getting worse. On Thursday, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic wants to submit an application to the NATO force KFOR to send Serbian soldiers to Kosovo. However, Vucic said he didn’t think the application would be approved. Nevertheless, from the point of view of Western politicians, his actions represent a provocation.
There is also uneasiness about Russia’s role in the region. Vucic and Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin are considered close allies. With regard to the conflict with Kosovo, a spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry said Moscow wanted to help Belgrade assert its national interests.
With his proposal, the Serbian President is referring to UN Resolution 1244 from 1999. This stipulates that “a small, agreed number” of Serbian military and police forces may return to Kosovo, for example to work at Serbian cultural sites or important border crossings to maintain a presence.
The deployment would have to be “under the supervision of the international security presence” and limited to “hundreds, not thousands.” However, it is unclear whether the regulation is actually applicable controversial. Internationally, Vucic has received criticism from Germany’s Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Greens), who described the proposal as “completely unacceptable”.
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Tensions in the state of about 1.9 million people escalated last week when a former Serbian police officer was arrested on terrorism charges. Members of the Serbian community demonstrated in the north of the country for his release and set up street barricades.
There was also an exchange of gunfire with the police, and an Eulex patrol reported being hit by a stun grenade. The civilian EU mission Eulex has been in existence since 2008 and is helping the country build up the police, judiciary and administration.
France was also concerned. A statement by the Foreign Ministry in Paris on Monday said that France condemned the “unacceptable attack on the EU mission Eulex and all acts of violence in the region”.
Reports by a Spanish news portal that a Serbian military convoy is moving towards the Kosovan border have not yet been confirmed.
Russian ambassador in Belgrade considers “bloodshed or a hot phase of the conflict” possible
Russia sides with Belgrade. Serbia is one of the few countries that has openly supported Russia since the start of the Ukraine war. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists in Moscow: “We hope that these tensions will ease as soon as possible and that the rights of Serbs will be protected, which is the most important thing.” At the same time, the Kremlin called for a diplomatic solution to be found .
>> Read here: Scholz promotes EU membership of the Western Balkan countries: “This is the only way for Europe to be complete”
The spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, accused the EU and the USA of being responsible for the worsening security situation in Kosovo.
Serbian residents of Kosovo prevent passage north of the city of Mitrovica.
(Photo: Reuters)
Russia’s state news service Tass quoted the Russian ambassador in Belgrade, Alexander Botsan-Kharchenko, as saying: “The situation has reached a point where bloodshed or a hot phase of the conflict is possible.”
Mostly Albanians live in Kosovo, which has been independent since 2008. But there is also a Serbian minority, who live especially in the north of the country and in the city of Mitrovica. Neither Serbia nor Russia recognize the country’s independence.
On Wednesday, Kosovo submitted a formal application for membership of the European Union. Serbia immediately asked the EU to break off the country’s accession process.
More: Diplomats: Bosnia-Herzegovina should become a candidate for EU membership