Tensions between Serbia and Kosovo flared anew this weekend after Kosovo’s police raided Serb-dominated areas in the region’s north and seized local municipality buildings.
A Kosovo police officer guards a municipal building after Friday's violent clashes between police and ethnic Serbs, in the town of Zvecan, northern Kosovo, Sunday, May 28, 2023. Serbia has condemned NATO-led peacekeepers stationed in neighboring Kosovo for their alleged failure to stop brutal actions by Kosovo police against ethnic Serbs. It said that its armed forces stationed near the border will remain on the highest state of alert until further notice.
Serbia has refused to recognize Kosovo’s statehood and still considers it part of Serbia, even though it has no formal control there. On Monday, Serbs staged a protest in front of the municipality buildings, triggering a tense standoff. The election boycott followed a collective resignation by Serb officials from the area, including administrative staff, judges, and police officers, in November 2022.The dispute over Kosovo is centuries-old. Serbia cherishes the region as the heart of its statehood and religion.
Belgrade’s brutal response prompted a NATO intervention in 1999, which forced Serbia to pull out and cede control to international peacekeepers.There are constant tensions between the Kosovo government and the Serbs who live mainly in the north of the country and keep close ties with Belgrade. EU officials have mediated negotiations designed to normalize relations between Serbia and Kosovo. Numerous agreements have been reached during the negotiations, but were rarely implemented on the ground. Some areas have seen results, like introducing freedom of movement within the country.
Serbia is led by populist President Aleksandar Vucic, who was information minister during the war in Kosovo. The former ultranationalist insists that any solution must be a compromise in order to last and says the country won’t settle unless it gains something.International officials are hoping to speed up negotiations and reach a solution in the coming months.
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