US Charge d'Affaires to Kosovo meets with new mayors of four northern municipalities

2025-12-23 22:04:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

US Charge d'Affaires to Kosovo meets with new mayors of four northern

Chargé d'Affaires at the United States Embassy in Kosovo, Anu Prattipati, met today with the four inaugurated mayors of Serb-majority municipalities in northern Kosovo.

She was welcomed at the meeting by the mayor of North Mitrovica, Milan Radojevic; of Leposavic, Zoran Todic; of Zvecan, Dragisa Milovic; and of Zubin Potok, Milos Perovic.

According to the US Embassy announcement, during the meeting, Prattipati emphasized US expectations for transparent and effective governance and the importance of equitable provision of services to all citizens.

"[During the meeting, the importance of cooperation with public safety institutions that are committed to serving all communities was also emphasized ," the US embassy said in a statement.

She also met with civil society representatives during her visit to the Serb-majority north. The visit comes after local elections in October, after which the Serbian List – the largest party of Kosovo Serbs and supported by Belgrade – regained power in these four Serb-majority municipalities.

North Mitrovica, Leposavic, Zvecan and Zubin Potok were led by Albanian mayors from May 2023 until the October 2025 elections, after the representatives of the Serbian List resigned from Kosovo institutions in November 2022.

The resignations were part of a joint initiative by Kosovo Serbs to abandon state institutions, in protest against the decisions of the Kosovo Government.

During the period of governance by Albanian mayors, municipal authorities in the north took over the administration of buildings owned by municipalities where Serbian institutions operated, banned construction that they considered illegal and financed by Serbia, and warned of the demolition of settlements built without permits.

Also, during the summer of this year, the municipality of North Mitrovica signed a memorandum of understanding with the municipality of South Mitrovica, which envisaged the construction of bridges over the Ibar River for pedestrians and vehicles. This memorandum was supported by the Kosovo Government, but opposed by the Serbian List.

The Serbian List has warned that it will demand a review of all decisions made during the past period by the municipal leadership, including the agreement on the construction of bridges and measures against constructions deemed illegal.

According to the Law on Local Self-Government, any decision or act of the municipality that is not in accordance with the Constitution and laws of Kosovo may be subject to review by the supervisory body, in this case the Ministry of Local Government Administration or other responsible institutions of the Government of Kosovo. /REL