Protests continue after violent clashes between Serbs and security forces of the Kosovo protection force KFOR on Monday in northern Kosovo. After a quiet night, numerous people gathered in front of municipal offices in three municipalities with a predominantly Serb population on Tuesday. Meanwhile, the Austrian KFOR contingent increased troop protection.
The military uses protected vehicles and personal protective equipment to monitor further developments in the affected regions, the Defense Ministry announced on Tuesday. There are currently 273 Austrian soldiers deployed in Kosovo and no Austrian soldiers have been injured in the unrest.
Tanner: Austria has a special interest in a peaceful Balkans
Defense Minister Klaudia Tanner (ÖVP) called on all parties to “de-escalate”. “Because of its geographical proximity, Austria has a special interest in the peaceful and stable development of the entire Balkans,” she said in a statement. Austria has set itself the goal of accompanying the countries of the Western Balkans on their way to the EU and neutralizing as far as possible all negative influences. “In Kosovo in particular, increasing the stability of security policy is absolutely important,” said the minister.
Serbs clashed with Hungarian and Italian KFOR units in northern Kosovo on Monday. About 30 soldiers and more than 50 Serbs were injured. The angry Serbs wanted to prevent new mayors from taking office. The Serb population had boycotted the regional elections in April, resulting in elected mayors only from the Albanian ethnic group.
Source: Krone
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