Macron against the government of Kosovo

2023-05-31 14:47:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

The President of France, Emmanuel Macron, said that the Kosovo authorities "bear responsibility for the unrest, which has increased significantly" in the north of Kosovo, since the new Albanian mayors took office in the municipalities with a Serbian majority.

Macron made the comments at a security conference in Bratislava.

The position of the French president is in coordination with the statements of the United States of America and other QUINT countries, which made the Government of Kosovo guilty for the tension of the situation in the north of the country.

The American Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, in his statement said that he strongly condemns the actions of the Government of Kosovo, which, according to him, are escalating tensions in the north and increasing instability". He said that these actions were taken "against the advice of the United States and Kosovo's European partners".

Even the head of diplomacy of the European Union, Josep Borrell, said that Kosovo should suspend police operations around municipal buildings in the north of the state, as "the first step to reduce tensions, while the violent protesters stop".

"Let me tell you that the EU strongly condemns the violence in the north of Kosovo that we have seen in recent days. Acts of violence against citizens, media, law enforcement and KFOR are unacceptable. We as the EU stand behind NATO and KFOR in fulfilling the mandate in the interest of peace and stability in Kosovo", said Borrell on May 30.

The international reactions came after the actions of the Kosovo Police, on May 26, in the three municipalities in the north of Kosovo, Zubin Potok, Zveçan and Leposaviq, to ??ensure access to the municipal facilities of the new mayors of these three municipalities.

The escalation in the north culminated on Monday, May 29, when KFOR peacekeeping troops intervened in Zveçan "to avoid clashes between the parties and to minimize the risk of escalation", and were attacked by several violent protesters, which the Kosovo government says they were "Serbian criminal gangs".

From this fight that happened, 30 KFOR soldiers were injured.

The head of NATO, Jens Stoltenberg, announced that the North-Atlantic alliance will increase the number of troops in Kosovo by 700, within the framework of its mission, KFOR.

"We have decided to commit an additional 700 troops from the Operational Reserve Force to the Western Balkans, and to raise the readiness of an additional battalion of reserve forces to a high level, so that they can be deployed, if the need arises" , he said.

The new Albanian mayors of the municipalities of North Mitrovica, Zveçan, Zubin Potok and Leposaviq have emerged from the extraordinary elections of April 23, which were boycotted by the Serbian community./ Rel