“There is no reason to panic, but there is reason to be concerned,” Serbian Defense Minister Milos Vucevic told RTS television late on Monday.
demonstrations
Since December 10, Northern Kosovo Serbs have erected multiple barricades in and around Mitrovica and exchanged fire with police following the arrest of a former Serb police officer for allegedly assaulting active officers during an earlier protest.
Around 50,000 Serbs live in the Albanian-majority northern part of Kosovo, and they refuse to recognize the Pristina government or the state. They consider Belgrade their capital and have the support of Serbia, the country from which Kosovo declared its independence in 2008.
“Kosovo cannot dialogue with criminal gangs and freedom of movement must be restored. There must be no roadblocks on any road”the Kosovar government said in a statement on Monday.
He added that the police have the ability and willingness to act, but are waiting for the NATO peacekeeping force KFOR Kosovo, which maintains a neutral role, to respond to their request to remove the barricades.
“We urge all parties to contribute to ensuring security and freedom of movement in Kosovo, and to prevent misleading speeches from affecting the dialogue process,” KFOR said in a statement.
official response
Meanwhile, the Kosovo Interior Minister, Xhelal Sveçlasaid Serbia, under Russian influence, seeks to destabilize Kosovo by supporting minority Serbs who have been blocking roads and protesting for nearly three weeks in the north.Serbs demonstrating in the city of Mitrovica erected new barricades on Tuesday , hours after Serbia said it had placed its army on full combat alert after weeks of escalating tensions between Belgrade and Pristina.
“It is precisely Serbia, influenced by Russia, which has raised a state of military readiness and is ordering the installation of new barricades, in order to justify and protect criminal groups that terrorize (…) ethnic citizens. Serbs living in Kosovo,” Sveçla said in a statement.
Serbia denies that it is trying to destabilize its neighbor, saying it only wants to protect its minority in the country. Serbian President Aleksandar Vu?i? said Tuesday that Serbia “will continue to fight for peace and seek compromise solutions.”
Belgrade claimed Monday night that, in light of the latest events in the region and its belief that Kosovo is preparing to attack the Serbs and forcefully remove the barricades, it had ordered its army and police to high alert.
Source: Ambito
David William is a talented author who has made a name for himself in the world of writing. He is a professional author who writes on a wide range of topics, from general interest to opinion news. David is currently working as a writer at 24 hours worlds where he brings his unique perspective and in-depth research to his articles, making them both informative and engaging.
