Following recent tensions in northern Kosovo, Belgrade has accused Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti of wanting to start a war. Kurti is a “geopolitical vulture” of the war in Ukraine, speculating that “any violent escalation will automatically lead to US and NATO support for the Kosovar Albanians, no matter who started the violence,” Serbia’s foreign minister said. Nemanja Starovic.
While such an image is far from reality, Kurti tries to present himself as a “little Zelensky” and portrays Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic as a “little Putin,” Starovic said, referring to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Kremlin chief Vladimir. Putin. “Let’s hope that the responsible people in the western capitals will see through this and – regardless of their support for the Kosovar Albanians – they will not allow Mr Kurti to start another war under false premise and harm the local Serbs” , he said. Starovic.
Planned tightening of access rules
The latest tensions were sparked by a tightening of entry rules for Kosovo Serbs scheduled for Monday. Angry protests and blockades erupted over the weekend, and police in Pristina also reported shots fired. However, on Monday evening, Kurti announced that the implementation of the measure would be postponed by a month.
Starovic pointed out that Kurti’s decision was preceded by consultations with his international partners, “particularly the US Ambassador to Pristina”. While it is “grateful” to those who negotiated this, it is feared that “we will not even have this month-long delay because the authorities in Pristina will simply look for another pretext to enforce various unilateral measures and an escalation to call costs at all”.
According to Starovic, the Kosovar head of government has ignored the agreements in the Brussels dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina by tightening the admission rules. “Unfortunately, this was not a surprise, as Mr Kurti has shown a pattern of unilateral actions since taking office a year and a half ago,” the Serbian government representative referred to the exclusion of Serbs living in Kosovo from the Serbian parliamentary and presidential elections in April. The “rather tame” international response to this is said to have encouraged the Kosovar head of government to continue. Kurti’s “clear goal” was to “forcibly integrate or exterminate the Kosovar Serbs”.
According to the planned new entry rules, Kosovo Serbs are no longer allowed to enter the country with their Serbian identity documents. Instead, they would need a preliminary document issued by the Kosovo authorities. From Pristina’s point of view, this act is mutual, as Serbia does not recognize Kosovo’s travel documents. The fact that their old Serbian number plates are no longer recognized and their cars are under threat of confiscation has sparked outrage among the local Serbs.
Independence never recognized
Serbia lost control of what was then the southern province in 1999. As a result of the Kosovo War, in which NATO intervened militarily to protect the Albanian civilian population, the area came under UN administration. Kosovo declared independence in 2008. Belgrade refuses to recognize this and continues to regard Kosovo as part of its national territory. Conversely, enforcement of the Kosovar justice system in the predominantly Serb north is proving difficult. They refuse to recognize Pristina’s authority. Belgrade has been demanding autonomy for the Serb communities there for years and refers to a corresponding provision in the Brussels agreement between Belgrade and Pristina of 2013.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
