The authorities close the offices of the Serbian parallel municipalities in the north of Kosovo

2024-08-30 19:14:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

The authorities close the offices of the Serbian parallel municipalities in the

Authorities in Kosovo on Friday closed the parallel Serbian municipalities in the north of the country, in a move that is likely to fuel new tensions, at a time when the Kosovo government has been criticized by Western diplomacy for "unilateral steps" in the area.

The Kosovo Police said that the operation in the four municipalities in the north of the country was carried out to stop the activities in "five facilities which have been used as illegal municipalities, and which are contrary to the constitutional legal order".

The Minister of Local Government, Elbert Krasniqi, said that "parallel illegal institutions of Local Self-Government have been closed, which have been operating under the directives of Serbia, violating the constitutionality and laws of the Republic of Kosovo".

Minister Krasniqi said that "the closed municipalities are the District of Mitrovica of Kosovo, the parallel Municipality of Mitrovica, the parallel Municipality of Zveçan, the parallel Municipality of Zubin Potok and the parallel Municipality of Leposaviq".

Earlier this year, authorities closed seven other parallel Serbian municipalities in other parts of the country.

"The institutions of the Republic of Kosovo offer services to all citizens, without distinction. They are the right address for all the demands and needs of our citizens. We remain committed to as many services as possible with the highest quality. "Citizens, without any distinction, have the correct address where they can receive municipal services, and the parallel structures are clear that they cannot operate outside the legal framework of the Republic of Kosovo," Minister Krasniqi wrote. Kosovo considers the municipal institutions appointed by Belgrade illegal.

The abolition of Serbian parallel institutions was foreseen in the 2013 agreement for the normalization of Kosovo-Serbia relations, but its implementation has stalled.

Serbian officials react with anger to today's operation. The head of the office for Kosovo in the government of Serbia, Petar Petkovic, said that this action "will have long-term consequences in the process of normalization of relations" and according to him "is intended to encourage conflicts in the north".

He said that with the closure of these institutions (Prime Minister Albin) Kurti "wants to extinguish the lives of Serbs in the north of Kosovo and carry out the final ethnic cleansing".

The operation took place at a time when the Kosovo government is facing criticism from Western diplomacy for "unilateral and uncoordinated" actions.

In early August, authorities closed the Serbian Post Office in the north and unveiled plans to open the main bridge over the Iber River in Mitrovica to car traffic.

On Thursday, French President Emmanuel Macron expressed concern with what he called "unilateral actions" by Kosovo, which, according to him, do not represent good signs towards the normalization of relations with Serbia.

During a visit that ended on Friday in Serbia, he said that France will observe "the conditions in which the Serbian community lives in Kosovo", underlining that "in this respect, we are particularly committed to the formation of the Association of Majority Municipalities Serbian", which is the most difficult part of the Kosovo-Serbia talks.

The Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, said on Friday that his government is establishing the rule of law and public order, as well as ensuring peace and security for all citizens of Kosovo, without distinction.

"In this respect, we want close cooperation and international support, including France, which we consider a very important friend, ally and partner in the European Union and NATO," said Prime Minister Kurti.

The West demands from Kosovo that the issues related to the situation in Kosovo in the summer be addressed within the dialogue in Brussels./ Voa