The Kosovo government has decided to postpone for a month the entry into force of new rules on the border with Serbia which had caused tensions in the north of the country on Sunday, where barricades were erected and shots fired on the font. The postponement was announced in a government statement following a meeting with US Ambassador to Kosovo Jeffrey Honevier.
The new rules, which were due to come into force on Monday, provide that anyone entering Kosovo with a Serbian identity card has a temporary document while in the country. Pristina also gave Kosovo Serbs two months to replace Serbian license plates on their vehicles with Republic of Kosovo plates.
Prime Minister Albin Kurti said on Sunday that it was a measure of reciprocity, insofar as Serbia – which does not recognize the independence of its former province with an Albanian majority proclaimed in 2008 – demands the same from Kosovars entering its territory.
Barricades at the border
These measures had aroused strong tensions Sunday in the north of Kosovo, where lives a Serb minority. Kosovo police said they were fired upon, with no injuries, and barricades were erected on roads leading into Serbia. By Sunday evening, hundreds of Kosovo Serbs had massed trucks, tankers and other heavy vehicles on the roads leading to the Jarinje and Brnjak crossings. Both crossings were closed to traffic. The Serbs of Kosovo do not recognize the authority of Pristina, nor the independence of Kosovo, and remain loyal to Belgrade on which they depend financially.
In its statement, the Kosovar government demanded that ” all barricades are lifted and complete freedom of movement restored ” Monday. The head of European diplomacy Josep Borrell praised Pristina’s decision in a tweet on Sunday evening, calling “ the immediate lifting of all roadblocks “.
Welcome Kosovo decision to move measures to 1 September. Expect all roadblocks to be removed immediately.
Open issues should be addressed through EU-facilitated Dialogue&focus on comprehensive normalization of relations btwn Kosovo&Serbia, essential for their EU integration paths— Josep Borrell Fontelles (@JosepBorrellF) July 31, 2022
In an address to the nation on Sunday, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said the situation in Kosovo had “not never been so complex for Serbia and the Serbs who live there.
In September 2021, northern Kosovo has already been the scene of intense tensionsafter Pristina’s decision to ban Serbian license plates on its territory, punctuated by daily demonstrations and blocking traffic at the two border posts.
(With AFP)