Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić has asked NATO for more protection for Kosovo’s Serbian population, which he says is being harassed.
Source: “European truth“, which quotes Vučić in a media statement following talks with Stoltenberg
Details: Vučić made this request during talks with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.
The Serbian President said that his discussions with the NATO Secretary General concerned the latest developments in the north of Kosovo and tensions, namely clashes in which Alliance peacekeepers were also injured.
“We believe that everything happened because of the irresponsible approach of the Pristina authorities,” Vucic said predictably.
He also complained that over the past six months in Kosovo, at least six Serbs “were shot at by the Albanians, primarily their security forces,” and appealed to the Secretary General with a request that NATO ensure the protection of the Serbian population.
In turn, Stoltenberg called on Pristina and Belgrade “to reduce tension and refrain from escalation and rhetoric.”
“We strongly believe that the only way forward is dialogue, a dialogue facilitated by the EU and strongly supported by NATO. Serbia is a longtime NATO partner and we trust that you will engage in this dialogue in a constructive way,” he added.
As you know, after the election of new mayors in April, which was boycotted by Kosovo Serbs, protests broke out in Serb communities in northern Kosovo. Protesters attacked NATO peacekeepers with incendiary devices and stones in the village of Zvecan. 30 Italian and Hungarian soldiers and more than 50 Serbs were injured.
United States and European Union called on Kosovo’s Prime Minister Albin Kurti to recall elected mayors and disband the special police force that was used to appoint them, otherwise there would be consequences, and imposed sanctions against the country for the first time.
Read about the latest aggravation between Serbia and partially recognized Kosovo in the article: Vučić’s plan: how Serbia escalates with Kosovo and torpedoes the EU peace strategy.
2023-07-19 18:38:31
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