02/10/2023 9:20 pm (current 02/10/2023 9:20 pm)
Gervalla-Schwarz warns about Serbia ©APA/AFP
In connection with renewed tensions in Kosovo, Kosovo’s Foreign Minister Gervalla-Schwarz warns of a new war in the Balkans. “If the international community tolerates Serbia’s actions, there will be a war,” the minister said on Monday on “Deutschlandfunk”. Serbia wants to create facts to force Kosovo to negotiate territorial issues in Brussels.
“Fortunately the attempt failed eight days ago, but we don’t know what the plans are for the future,” said Gervalla-Schwarz. Therefore, it calls on the EU to freeze Serbia’s status as a candidate country and stop cash payments.
On Thursday, Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani blamed its northern neighbor Serbia and its President Aleksandar Vucic for the escalation of violence in the north of the country. Serbia still has territorial claims over Kosovo and is trying to implement a “Crimean model,” she said, alluding to Russian actions in Ukraine.
About a week ago, 30 armed and masked men opened fire on Kosovo police officers in a village not far from the border with Serbia. According to police, one officer and three attackers died in the exchange of gunfire. Since the incident, there have been reports of Serbian troop concentrations at the border. NATO is therefore planning to increase its presence in the Western Balkan country. There are currently around 3,400 KFOR soldiers stationed in Kosovo. The Austrian Federal Army is currently represented by 275 people in the KFOR contingent.
Kosovo declared its independence from Serbia in 2008. This is not recognized by the government in Belgrade or the Serb minority in Kosovo. More than 90 percent of Kosovo’s population are ethnic Albanian. In the north of the country, however, Serbs constitute the majority.