Global Courant 2023-05-29 00:59:43
NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg has called on Pristina to de-escalate tensions after putting the military on edge.
NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg has called on Kosovo to ease tensions with Serbia, two days after clashes between Kosovo police and protesters against the taking office of Albanian mayors in ethnic Serb areas.
“Pristina needs to de-escalate and not take unilateral, destabilizing steps,” Stoltenberg said in a tweet on Sunday.
The secretary-general of the transatlantic military alliance said he had spoken to Josep Borrell, the European Union’s foreign policy chief, about Kosovo. He added that Pristina and Belgrade should participate in the EU-led dialogue.
Serbs, who make up the majority of the population in the northern region of Kosovo, do not accept Serbia’s 2008 declaration of independence and still regard Belgrade as their capital more than two decades after the end of the war in 1999.
They refused to participate in local elections in April and the Albanian candidates won all four municipalities with a turnout of 3.5 percent. Supported by Belgrade, they said they would not accept the mayors and they would not represent them.
On Friday, small groups of ethnic Serbs in northern Kosovo clashed with police as they attempted to block the entrance to municipal buildings to prevent recently elected officials from entering.
Police fired tear gas and several cars were set on fire. Three of the four mayors were escorted to their offices by police, who pelted stones and responded with tear gas and water cannons to disperse the protesters.
In the aftermath of the latest unrest, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic ordered the army placed on the highest state of readiness and “moved” to the Kosovo border.
On Saturday morning, Vucic chaired a meeting of the National Security Council, which adopted a plan of “security activities… to strengthen Serbia’s defense capabilities,” the Serbian president’s office said in a statement.
The presidency added that “Serbia’s armed forces remain in a state of maximum readiness until further notice”.
A joint statement from the embassies of the United States, United Kingdom, Italy, France and Germany, known as the Quint group, and the EU office in Pristina warned Kosovo of other measures to restrict access to municipal buildings to force.
“We strongly warn all parties about other threats or actions that could affect a safe environment, including freedom of movement, and could fuel tensions or promote conflict,” said Quint and the EU.
“New unilateral actions will negatively affect relations with the Quint countries and the EU.”
The US, UK and EU are Kosovo’s main financiers as the country is still not a member of the United Nations over objections from Serbia, Russia, China and others.
