Meeting with Vucic / Stolterberg: The two sides should refrain from tensions

2023-07-19 20:11:47, Kosova & Bota CNA

The Secretary General of NATO, Jens Stolteberg, said on Wednesday that it is very important to reduce tensions in Kosovo, and that both sides refrain from violence.

He made these statements after a meeting he held with the Serbian president, Aleksander Vucic.

"We believe that the dialogue [between Kosovo and Serbia] should resume", he added.

He recalled that NATO has increased the presence of its mission in Kosovo, KFOR, due to the recent tensions in the north.

"We will continue to maintain peace, as our mandate foresees", said Stoltenberg, adding that NATO forces will be there to carry out the mandate envisaged by the United Nations.

The President of Serbia, Aleksander Vu?i?, has said that he is very concerned about the recent developments in Kosovo, and has asked NATO, through KFOR, to provide security for the Serbs living there.

According to him, Belgrade believes that the "irresponsible actions of the Government of Kosovo" are the main reason for the recent developments.

The meeting between Stoltenberg and Vucic took place on the day when the EU envoy for the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue, Miroslav Lajcak, met in Brussels with the chief negotiators of both countries: Besnik Bislim and Petar Petkovic.

During the day, Lajcak is said to have also met with Vucic.

The situation in the north of Kosovo - an area inhabited by a majority of Serbs - has been tense since the end of May, when the Kosovo Police assisted the new Albanian mayors of Zveçan, Leposaviç and Zubin Potok to enter the municipal buildings, despite the resistance of the local residents. Serbian.

Tensions culminated in violence on May 29, when Serbian protesters in Zveçan clashed with KFOR soldiers.

Dozens of injured have been reported from both sides.

However, on July 11, the European Union has confirmed that Kosovo has agreed to reduce the police presence in and around municipal buildings in Zveçan, Leposavic and Zubin Potok, and that Kosovo will support the holding of new elections in the four northern municipalities, as part of actions to escalate the situation.

The Government of Kosovo has said that all steps will be "finalized within a two-week period".

Due to not listening to the advice of the international factor to end the crisis, Kosovo has faced punitive measures from the EU.

The EU's punitive measures against Kosovo include: the temporary suspension of the work of the bodies created on the basis of the Stabilization and Association Agreement, the non-invitation of Kosovo to high-level meetings and the suspension of bilateral visits, except for those focused on addressing the crisis in the north of Kosovo within the framework of the dialogue facilitated by the EU.

Kosovo and Serbia are part of the dialogue mediated by the EU, for the normalization of relations, since 2011.

The parties have signed many agreements, but not all of them have been implemented./ REL