2023 attacks in northern Kosovo/ NATO expects accountability from Serbia

2026-05-22 14:40:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

The Deputy Assistant Secretary General for Partnerships of the North Atlantic Alliance, NATO, Kevin Hamilton, said that NATO cannot have a deepened partnership with Serbia as long as Serbia does not hold accountable the organizers and perpetrators of the attacks in northern Kosovo that occurred in 2023.

Along these lines, said the senior NATO official, "the deepening of the partnership with Serbia remains suspended" and this message, as he said, "has also been conveyed to state leaders in Belgrade". Kevin Hamilton made these comments in a meeting with journalists after a two-day stay in Kosovo, where he met, in addition to KFOR leaders, the acting Prime Minister, Albin Kurti.

What is suspended for Serbia?

"These incidents, as well as the attacks on KFOR personnel, were completely unacceptable. I was in Belgrade before I came to Pristina and my message to the Serbian authorities is that NATO expects accountability and justice for those who carried out and organized those attacks, they must be brought to justice," said Hamilton, adding that "the North Atlantic Alliance wants to have a transparent and positive relationship with Serbia. This is the message I gave to my Serbian interlocutors."

In Banjska, Zve?an, armed groups of Serbs attacked the Kosovo Police in September 2023, killing a sergeant and wounding two others. Just four months earlier, in the same year, on May 29, over 90 KFOR members were wounded and injured during Serb protests in the north.

For these events, the senior NATO official said, there must be accountability and that there will be no "individual tailored partnership" with Serbia.

"What is on hold is the deepening of the relationship between NATO and Serbia, for example moving towards an individually tailored partnership. We would like to see this, but we will not move on these aspects of practical cooperation without or until there is accountability and justice regarding the 2023 incidents," Hamilton said.

The senior official of the North Atlantic Alliance said that NATO has had good relations with Kosovo for over 27 years and this relationship is strong.

NATO's Deputy Assistant Secretary General for Partnerships, Kevin Hamilton, who is also the special representative for the Caucasus and Central Asia region, said that "foreign powers and ill-intentions are using disinformation to the detriment of Kosovo's security."

Hamilton mentions disinformation campaigns from Russia

"Unfortunately we always see foreign actors, and here I will mention Russia, who are involved in disinformation campaigns. These hybrid campaigns are here not only in the Western Balkans, but also all over the world. This is part of the Russian playbook to incite discontent and division here in the Western Balkans, so it is important for people in Kosovo, but also in the region, to be vigilant ," said Hamilton.

The senior NATO official, in a meeting with acting Prime Minister Albin Kurti, was also interested in the recent initiative of the Kosovo Government to establish the Kosovo Gendarmerie, according to the latter. According to Prime Minister Kurti, this structure, the gendarmerie, aims to "strengthen security in coordination with KFOR and NATO".

The establishment of the working group that will "analyze and propose modalities for the functioning of the Gendarmerie of the Republic of Kosovo, as an Agency of the Ministry of Internal Affairs", has already been announced by the Minister of Internal Affairs, Xhelal Sveçla.

"The Gendarmerie represents an important step in consolidating our security architecture, with a clear mission to guarantee a strong state presence in order to preserve our borders, territorial integrity and sovereignty, protect against terrorism, manage high-risk riots and protect critical infrastructure ," Sveçla announced.

According to him, the Gendarmerie of the Republic of Kosovo will significantly strengthen the state capacity to prevent, manage and neutralize threats that threaten the security of citizens and the territorial integrity of Kosovo. /DW