Italian soldiers, part of the NATO peacekeeping force, stand near a barricade in Mitrovica, Kosovo, December 29, 2022. BOJAN SLAVKOVIC v AP
The situation in Kosovo seems to be calming down. The main border crossing between Serbia and Kosovo reopened on Thursday, December 29, after Western citizens called for calm over one of the region’s worst crises in recent years.
After dismantling a roadblock on the Serbian side of the Merdare border post, Kosovar police confirmed “the return to normal” and the reopening of this post, which was closed the day before, the main crossing point into Serbia. Footage from Radio-Television Serbia (RTS) showed lines of cars and trucks forming on the Serbian side. According to RTS, Serbia has lifted the heightened state of alert it placed its troops on Monday night.
In Kosovo, Serbs on Thursday began dismantling the largest roadblock erected in Rudare, near the town of Mitrovica, moving the first trucks among the dozen vehicles positioned across the road, according to a correspondent for the Agence France-Presse (AFP). Dismantling of other roadblocks has also begun at other locations and is expected to be completed by Thursday evening, RTS reported.
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The dismantling of the dams was announced by Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic on Wednesday evening after Washington and the European Union (EU) called for de-escalation. “The barricades are being dismantled, but distrust remains,” Vucic said at a meeting with Kosovo Serb officials near the Kosovo border, according to RTS Comments.
Release of a former Serbian police officer
Earlier that day, in a move clearly aimed at defusing tensions, a court in Pristina ordered the release and detention of former Serb police officer Dejan Pantic, whose arrest had angered the Serb minority. According to an AFP correspondent, the situation in northern Kosovo was calm on Thursday morning, with patrols by international peacekeepers. In Mitrovica, two trucks were on fire during the night, blocking a bridge. The cause of the accident was unknown.
Serb protesters stand near the village of Rudare, north of Mitrovica, Kosovo, December 29, 2022. VISAR KRYEZIU / AP
Since December 10, several hundred members of the Serb minority have set up roadblocks and blocked traffic at two border crossings with Serbia in protest at the arrest of the former Serb police officer in northern Kosovo. Last week Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic judged that the situation in the region was “on the verge of an armed conflict”. Police and Kosovo peacekeepers have suffered multiple gun attacks as Serbia put its forces on high alert.
Kosovo, a former Serbian province, declared independence in 2008, a decade after a deadly war between Serbian forces and Albanian rebels; but Serbia does not recognize it. Belgrade is encouraging the Serbian minority – some 120,000 of Kosovo’s 1.8 million population – to refuse any allegiance to Pristina while the Kosovan authorities seek to establish their sovereignty over the entire territory.
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“As tensions de-escalated, diplomacy prevailed”
In early November, hundreds of Serb police officers integrated into Kosovo’s police force, as well as judges, prosecutors and other officials, left their posts en masse to protest a decision by Pristina, now suspended, to ban Serbs living in Kosovo from using license plates issued by Serbia.
In a tweet, the head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell, welcomed the dismantling of the dams and declared that “diplomacy has triumphed in de-escalating tensions in northern Kosovo”. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) also welcomed “the efforts to defuse tensions in northern Kosovo”. “We expect all parties to honor their commitments,” Alliance spokeswoman Oana Lungescu tweeted. Kosovan Prime Minister Albin Kurti was satisfied with the latest developments. “It’s even better that this is happening without the intervention of our police,” he said.
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On Wednesday, the United States and the EU had jointly called for an “unconditional de-escalation” and assured that they would work with Belgrade “to find a political solution to ease tensions and achieve a breakthrough in the interest of stability, security and well-being of all local populations.” Russia reiterated its support for Belgrade on Wednesday. “We have very close allied, historical and spiritual ties with Serbia,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. Of course we support Belgrade in its actions. »