Kurti accuses Serbia of moving the army near the border/ Belgrade reacts

2024-10-13 16:41:23, Kosova & Bota CNA

Prime Minister of Kosovo Albin Kurti

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti accused Serbia on Saturday evening of approaching military troops about 50 meters close to the border line in the municipality of Kamenica, in eastern Kosovo, while Belgrade said on Sunday that the troops acted within the land security zone and in accordance with agreements international.

In a post on his Facebook account, Prime Minister Kurti published several photos of Serbian forces, calling the movement of troops near the border a provocation.

"The relevant security institutions of the Republic of Kosovo have immediately detected these provocative movements by the army of Serbia, which are aimed at inciting tensions. When they saw that we noticed them and shot them, they quickly ran away and left for the interior of their territory", wrote Prime Minister Kurti, underlining that the government of Kosovo "has made unprecedented investments in raising and improving the capacities of intelligence, security and defense structures, which are ready to prevent any threat to the territorial integrity and sovereignty of our state".

On Sunday, the Serbian Defense Minister said that Prime Minister Kurti's statements are "a continuation of the disinformation campaign against the Serbian Armed Forces and the security forces" of Serbia.

According to this ministry , "the post on social networks shows that the members of the Armed Forces of Serbia in the Land Security Zone perform regular tasks for securing the administrative line and controlling the land security zone, in accordance with the military-technical agreements and all agreements others signed".

The Serbian Ministry said that its troops "have prevented the illegal activities of cutting and transporting timber in the territory of Kosovo, in which case the timber thieves have fled to Kosovo".

The border line between Kosovo and Serbia is about 350 kilometers long and is patrolled by NATO peacekeeping forces and nearby by Kosovo police forces.

Last year, NATO increased its troop presence following tensions that culminated on September 24 when a group of armed Serbs attacked Kosovo police, killing a police officer.

The European Union and the United States are putting pressure on both sides to implement the agreement that Prime Minister Kurti and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Kurti reached in February and March of last year. The agreement includes the obligation of Kosovo to establish an Association of Municipalities with a Serbian Majority and the obligation of Serbia to recognize the de facto independence of Kosovo, which Belgrade still continues to oppose./ REL