Today is the deadline for the removal of Serbian institutions from the facility in North Mitrovica

2023-09-08 08:57:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Today is the deadline for the removal of Serbian institutions from the facility

The authorities in Kosovo have warned that by September 8, four Serbian institutions must leave a facility in the Bosniak Quarter, as they have argued that it belongs to the municipality of North Mitrovica.

The Deputy Director of the Kosovo Police for the North Region, Veton Elshani, told "Radio Free Europe" that "so far we have no request" from the municipality to assist in the removal of these institutions from this facility. However, he added that the police are ready to carry out their duties in this matter at the moment they are asked.

According to the "Radio Free Europe" team on the ground, on Friday morning the situation in front of this facility was calm.

The Office for Kosovo of the Government of Serbia, the Directorate of the Pension and Invalid Insurance Fund, the Administrative District of Mitrovica of Kosovo and the Center for Social Work have been using this municipal building for a long time.

An action for the removal of these institutions of Serbia from the municipal facility in North Mitrovica was initially planned to take place on August 25, but was postponed for two weeks.

Before that, the municipal inspectorate had sent these institutions a warning to vacate the offices since they had not submitted documents or contracts to prove that they have permission to use the facility.

The director of the Office for Kosovo in the Serbian Government, Petar Petkovic, on September 7 addressed the international community, including the QUINT countries and the representative of the European Union for dialogue, Miroslav Lajcak, saying that the warning for the departure from this facility of the Serbian institutions " may lead to the deepening of the crisis in the north of Kosovo and the additional increase of tensions on the ground".

In the letter, which Petkovic sent to the international representatives, they were told that such "unilateral and illegal actions by Pristina represent a dangerous provocation" that, according to him, threaten the rights and lives of the Serbian people living in the north of Kosovo.

Meanwhile, on September 6, Lista Serbe - the largest party of Kosovo Serbs and enjoys the support of official Belgrade - said that the Serbian institutions will not leave the facility.

The authorities in North Mitrovica have argued that the building belongs to them and that it should be vacated due to some "works". However, in an earlier statement to REL, they did not specify what kind of works it is.

North Mitrovica is located in the north of Kosovo, an area inhabited by a majority of Serbs. This municipality, along with three other municipalities in the north, have had Albanian mayors since April, who were elected in elections boycotted by the Serbian population.

At the end of May, tensions in the north of Kosovo increased, after the new Albanian mayors, with the assistance of the Kosovo Police, entered the municipal buildings.

After increasing tensions, the Government of Kosovo agreed in July to take steps towards a complete de-escalation of the situation. One of the steps agreed upon by Pristina and Brussels foresees the creation of the legal basis that would enable new elections to be held in the four municipalities in the north.

In this regard, on September 5, a new administrative instruction was published that enables the removal of mayors of municipalities through a petition./ REL