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2022-12-27 20:04:05
◎NATO Peacekeeping Force in Kosovo (KFOR) expressed the hope that all sides could avoid rhetoric and actions that could lead to an escalation of the situation and refrain from provocative displays of force.
Every reporter Li Menglin Every editor Tan Yuhan
Serbian President Vucic. Image source: Xinhua News Agency
In recent days, tensions have risen again between Kosovo and Serbia. According to CCTV news, Serbian President Vucic ordered on the evening of December 26 local time,The army and police of Serbia enter the highest level of combat readiness. Vucic said that he “uses all means to defend our people and Serbia”.
On the same day, Serbian Defense Minister Vucevic arrived at the Kosovo border and praised the combat readiness of the Serbian army. As the Serbian Army has recently been on alert,it is not clear what that state of maximum readiness actually means for the ground forces。
According to BBC reports, Serbian media recently reported that the Kosovo authorities planned to launch an “attack” on Serb residents in northern Kosovo, but the Kosovo authorities did not respond to these reports.
NATO’s peacekeeping force in Kosovo (KFOR) expressed the hope that all sides avoid rhetoric and actions that could lead to an escalation of the situation and refrain from provocative displays of force. The EU also called on both sides to show restraint and seek a political solution.
The conflict escalates in northern Kosovo
According to CCTV news, on the evening of December 26 local time, Serbian President Vucic ordered the Serbian army and police to reach the highest level of combat readiness.
Serbian Defense Minister Vucevic stated that, according to President Vucic’s order, all Serbian armed forces started preparing for the use of force that night. Vucevic stressed that the army’s entry into the highest level of combat readiness is to safeguard Serbia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and to protect Serbian citizens wherever they live from terrorist threats.
According to the Associated Press, on the same day, Vucevic and the army chief of staff arrived at the Kosovo border and praised the combat readiness of the local Serbian army.
Serbian Interior Minister Garcic also stated that night, according to President Vucic’s order, the Serbian police force has also entered the highest level of combat readiness and will be commanded by the General Staff to enter designated places to carry out tasks of fighting. as necessary.
It is unclear what this maximum level of readiness actually means for Serbian Army operations. The Serbian military has been placed on high alert several times in recent years due to tensions with Kosovo. The most recent was in November, when the Serbian government said several drones entered Serbian airspace from Kosovo.
Serb residents in northern Kosovo set up checkpoints on main roads in the area on Dec. 10 local time to protest the arrest of a former Kosovo Serb policeman, triggering an escalation of tension, according to CCTV news reports. between Kosovo and Serbia.
On 26 December, the Kosovo authorities discussed the current situation with the commander of NATO’s Kosovo Peace Implementation Force (KFOR) and EU diplomats in Kosovo. Kosovo authorities said after the meeting that the meeting concluded that roadblocks should be removed to restore freedom of travel.
On the same day, according to CCTV News citing Serbian media reports, Kosovo authorities banned the Serbian Orthodox bishop from entering Kosovo and ordered to increase the state of combat readiness to prepare to enter the Serb-inhabited area in the north of Kosovo.
Meanwhile, KFOR is investigating an attack that took place on 25 December. According to KFOR, the attack took place near a patrol point of KFOR troops, but fortunately no one was injured. The attack took place in Zubin Potok, in northern Kosovo, where the Serb population has been barricaded for two weeks and the situation is tense.
In response to the situation on the 26th, KFOR called on all parties concerned to avoid rhetoric and actions that would lead to an escalation of the situation in a statement: “We expect all parties to refrain from provocative displays of force and seek the best solution that can guarantee the safety of all ethnic groups”.
The EU called for “maximum restraint and immediate action” and called on leaders of both sides to find a political solution.
Why the conflict again?
According to CCTV news, Kosovo is an autonomous province of the former Yugoslav Republic of Serbia and after the end of the Kosovo war in 1999 it was managed by the United Nations. In 2008 Kosovo unilaterally declared independence and Serbia has always maintained its sovereignty over Kosovo.
According to the Guardian, Kosovo currently has a population of 1.8 million, with Albanians making up the vast majority, but there are still around 120,000 Serbs living in the country, mainly concentrated in northern Kosovo bordering Serbia.
Although the Kosovo war ended 23 years ago, tensions between Kosovo and Serbia continue to escalate from time to time. This year’s conflict arose from the “small matter” of the license plate change.
The Kosovar authorities impose that from 1 August this year vehicles with car licenses from the former Yugoslavia must be registered and replaced with licenses issued by the Kosovar authorities within two months, offenders will be fined 150 euros. The move sparked protests from Kosovo Serb residents, who blocked roads with heavy vehicles, and hundreds of Serbs working in Kosovo’s police and judiciary collectively resigned.
Subsequently, with the mediation of the European Union, Kosovo and Serbia reached a compromise on the issue of license plates. However, on 10 December, when Kosovo authorities arrested a former Serbian policeman suspected of attacking Albanian police, Serb residents in northern Kosovo again blocked main roads in protest. . .
On December 10, Serbian President Vucic said he would ask NATO to allow him to deploy Serbian troops and police in Kosovo. This is the first time Serbia has requested the deployment of troops in Kosovo. According to UN Security Council Resolution 1244, if the commander of NATO forces in Kosovo approves, Serbia can deploy 1,000 military, police and customs personnel to Kosovo’s Orthodox religious sites, Serb-majority areas and border crossings to keep order. So far, this request has not been accepted.
On December 11, Kosovo’s “First Deputy Prime Minister” Besnik Bislimi told the media that Kosovo intends to formally apply for EU membership in the coming days, so as to demonstrate to European governments that it is close to the EU . is it serious. However, five EU member states – Cyprus, Greece, Romania, Slovakia and Spain – have not yet recognized Kosovo’s status.
According to the analysis of The Economist magazine, the normalization of relations between Serbia and Kosovo faces many challenges and it is difficult for the leaders of both sides to make concessions. For Serbia, this means treating Kosovo as a normal country, but it is impossible for Serbia to officially recognize Kosovo; while the Kosovo authorities must accept the autonomy of the Serb population in areas such as education and health care, but the current leadership opposes this policy. A diplomat said the leaders of the two sides were now so distant they were “living on two different planets”.
Cover image source: Xinhua News Agency
