Northern Kosovo, the place many of the ethnic Serb minority lives, has lengthy been a flashpoint of tensions between Pristina and Belgrade.
Not less than 4 individuals had been arrested in North Mitrovica after protesting the go to of Prime Minister Albin Kurti on Monday, police authorities mentioned.
Serb activist and opposition Democracy celebration chief Aleksandar Arsenijević was amongst these arrested, in accordance with Deputy Police Commander Petrit Fejza.
Kurti’s go to to the city of some 27,000 divided alongside ethnic traces was seen by the native Serbs as an act of provocation amid rising tensions within the northern area.
The tensions first spiked over the opportunity of opening the bridge on the Ibar River that divides the town into Serb and Albanian-majority elements and have been ongoing for weeks.
Two of 4 border crossings with Serbia have been closed after protesters on the aspect of the city the place many of the ethnic Serb minority lives blocked the street and prevented motorists with Kosovo-issued licence plates from passing by way of.
In the meantime, the Kosovo PM took benefit of his stroll in North Mitrovica to speak to Serbian journalists.
“We now have an settlement and the settlement have to be revered, carried out. However Belgrade doesn’t recognise the settlement it agreed to,” Kurti mentioned.
“However the Serbs have realised that this settlement just isn’t appropriate with the Better Serbian ideology,” he added.
Flashpoint of tensions
Northern Kosovo, with a predominantly ethnic Serb inhabitants, has lengthy been a flashpoint of tensions between Pristina and Belgrade.
The 2 capitals have been at odds since Kosovo — Serbia’s former province — declared independence in 2008, nearly a decade after the 1998-1999 battle that led to a NATO intervention in opposition to the Belgrade regime of Slobodan Milošević.
The nation’s independence has been recognised by most EU member states, the UK, and the US, amongst others.
Serbia rejects this as unlawful, backed by the likes of Russia and China. The Serbs within the north reject Pristina’s authority and Kosovo’s independence from Belgrade.
Lately, Serbian activists have been vocally demanding the withdrawal of Kosovo cops from the city. Some have additionally requested that KFOR, the NATO-led peacekeepers who’ve been stationed in Kosovo because the battle and have the ultimate say on safety issues, assume management.
KFOR spokesperson Colonel Salvatore Mascoli has mentioned any choice on this respect have to be taken by way of dialogue and “efficient coordination with the worldwide neighborhood.”
Within the meantime, KFOR continued to take care of its “mounted presence on the bridge,” Mascoli mentioned.
ADVERTISEMENTAuthorities in Belgrade mentioned they’d reply to Kurti’s go to by Friday. However they’ve additionally mentioned that they’re able to proceed the EU-led dialogue with Pristina, which has been ongoing for greater than a decade, within the hope of becoming a member of the union.
