E fundit!

10:17 TODAY

More details emerge/ 3 weapons found in the shed where Braçellari was hiding

Investigations into the serious incident in Lozhan, where ...

Kosovo and Serbia exchange accusations at the UN/ Express disagreements over UNMIK report

2025-10-21 22:49:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Kosovo and Serbia exchange accusations at the UN/ Express disagreements over

The chief diplomats of Kosovo and Serbia have exchanged accusations against each other's countries at a meeting of the United Nations Security Council, where on Tuesday the six-month report of the UN Secretary-General on its mission in Kosovo, UNMIK, was discussed.

Kosovo's acting Foreign Minister, Donika Gërvalla, and Serbia's Foreign Minister, Marko ?uri?, also expressed disagreements about the findings of the report presented at this session by UNMIK Deputy Special Representative, Milbert Dongjoon Shin.

During this session, the United States representative said that there are no threats to security in Kosovo and supported the closure of the UN mission in the country.

What was said in the UNMIK report?

The UNMIK report presented on Tuesday covers the period from March 16 to September 15. It called on all competent institutions in Belgrade and Pristina to prosecute those responsible for the attack on the village of Banjska in northern Kosovo in 2023.

In September 2023, an armed group of Serbs attacked the Kosovo Police, killing an officer.

Most of the defendants in Kosovo are at large, and Belgrade, which is conducting a parallel investigation, has not filed an indictment against the former deputy leader of the Serbian List, Milan Radoi?i?, who publicly claimed responsibility for the attack, even two years after the attack.

He cited as positive examples the holding of local elections in Kosovo in a fair and democratic atmosphere, as well as two meetings between delegations from Kosovo and Serbia within the framework of the dialogue for the normalization of relations, mediated by the European Union.

Two trilateral meetings were held in Brussels in June and September, with the chief negotiators of Kosovo and Serbia, Besnik Bislimi and Petar Petkovic, on the implementation of previous agreements, including the Ohrid Agreement and the May 2023 Declaration on Missing Persons. Neither meeting resulted in a formal outcome.

Shin reiterated the concerns of UNMIK and international partners regarding the closure of Serb institutions in municipalities where this community lives in the majority.

“It is essential that authorities in Pristina sincerely involve all affected communities before implementing decisions that affect their daily lives, as well as seek viable alternatives to avoid or reduce negative effects ,” Shin said.

He said that UNMIK welcomes the fact that the Kosovo authorities have ensured that citizens of the Serbian community have easy access to documents of the Republic of Kosovo.

Shin reiterated his call for Kosovo Serbs to return to Kosovo institutions.

The Kosovo government completely abolished the Serbian dinar as a means of payment and closed most functional Serbian institutions, such as the Post of Serbia, the Postal Savings Bank, Provisional Municipal Bodies, Centers for Social Work, public enterprises, and others.

Shin recalled that new measures that will come into effect in Kosovo from November 1st, according to which vehicles with foreign license plates will not be able to circulate on the basis of authorization and that anyone who does not have Kosovo documents will have to apply for a residence permit.

"This can cause administrative challenges and affect access to essential rights and services, including health insurance, education and employment. This concerns Kosovo citizens with permanent residence from minority communities, who continue to have problems in collecting the necessary documentation. This is the moment to once again seek alternatives to these challenges ," said Shin.

Shin expressed concern about the arrests of people displaying "cultural, national or religious symbols" in Kosovo.

"We must underline that there must be a careful balance between protecting freedom of expression and preventing the promotion of hatred and violence," Shin said.

UNMIK has warned about the pressures facing civil society representatives and journalists in Kosovo.

"The Kosovo Journalists Association has reported attacks on journalists, as well as threats to the independence of public television ," Shin said.

Donika Gërvalla: Serbia a real threat to the region

Kosovo's Foreign Minister, Donika Gërvalla, assessed that the UNMIK report is "biased and incomplete" and that it "does not contain basic facts."

She said that parliamentary and local elections were held in Kosovo and were assessed by representatives of the international community as free and fair.

"Kosovo is a pure Western democracy in the Western Balkans. We are the country with the strongest pro-NATO and pro-EU commitment in the world ," she said.

She assessed that Serbia is "a real threat to the region."

"Every day, we are seeing a propaganda machine under the control of (Serbian President) Aleksandar Vu?i?, which is systematically poisoning Serbian society and systematically preparing the public for aggression against our country," she said.

The Kosovo chief diplomat stressed that Pristina remains committed to dialogue, but added that it must be a "real dialogue."

"We need real dialogue, not the deceptions of Aleksandar Vu?i?, whose strategy towards the European Union is betrayal, while towards his neighbors a hybrid war, even to the point of paramilitary aggression ," said Gërvalla.

Gërvalla stressed that with the incident in Banjska in September 2023, Serbia showed that it was "ready for war" and that the man who claimed responsibility for the attack, Milan Radoi?i?, was "Vu?i?'s right-hand man."

"Meanwhile, Vu?i? considers him an honored guest of the regime. This is impunity for murder and aggression. The international community must put pressure on the regime in Serbia. If there are no consequences, they will escalate the situation even further," she concluded.

Serbia's position

Serbian Foreign Minister Marko Djuric told the UN Security Council that Serbia sees UNMIK's report as "balanced and realistic".

He assessed that the human rights of Serbs in Kosovo are "systematically deteriorating" and that the number of "ethnically motivated incidents has increased."

"Since (Kosovo Prime Minister) Albin Kurti came to power, 37 incidents have been recorded against members of the Serbian community. This systematic denial of rights is not only a Serbian tragedy, but a moral failure to act," Djuric said.

He accused Albin Kurti's government of "cultivated hatred" and "quiet ethnic cleansing."

“Albin Kurti’s regime has closed 128 vital institutions in areas where the Serb majority lives – educational and health institutions, as well as social welfare institutions, and even the Red Cross office,” Djuric said.

The position of international actors

The United States representative called on Kosovo and Serbia to reduce tensions, refrain from measures that would lead to escalation, and return to dialogue.

He stressed that there are no threats to security in Kosovo and supported the closure of the mission.

"We recognize UNMIK's efforts to implement dialogue and legal reforms in Kosovo. This is helpful, but the reality is that UNMIK is a peacekeeping mission, without peacekeepers, while 81 percent of the mission's budget funds the salaries of staff who are engaged in work that should be done by other organizations. It is time for these jobs to be transferred from UNMIK to agencies that are better equipped for these tasks ," said the US representative.

The UNMIK mission was established in 1999 by Security Council Resolution 1244.

The United States and several other Security Council members have long supported the removal of the UNMIK mission, while a group of members, led by Russia, oppose it.

The European Union's representative to the UN Security Council, Stavros Lambrinidis, stated that the EU expects Serbia to implement all necessary measures to prosecute the perpetrators of the attack near the village of Banjska in 2023.

"Serbia has not taken sufficient steps in this direction," said the European Union representative.

Lambrinidis stressed that Brussels remains "deeply concerned about the situation in northern Kosovo".

"Kosovo and Serbia, in close cooperation with EULEX, should continue their efforts to reduce tensions, to refrain from unilateral and provocative moves that would lead to increased tensions and violence ," said Lambrinidis.

He welcomed the holding of local elections in Kosovo in October. He stressed that it was important for Kosovo Serbs to participate in the elections.