- NATO wants to protect stability in Serbia and Kosovo.
- If the conflict between the two countries flares up again, NATO will not stand by and do nothing, said NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg
- He met Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic in Brussels.
- The situation on the ground has improved, but it is the responsibility of all parties to prevent a renewed escalation, according to Stoltenberg.
Tensions between Serbia and Kosovo escalated again a good two weeks ago. The reason for this was the new entry rules for Serbs that Kosovo wanted to introduce. Due to pressure from the USA and the EU, the introduction was postponed by a month.
“I call on all sides to exercise restraint and avoid violence,” said the Norwegian at a press conference with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic in Brussels.
Legend:
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg (right) and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic (left) at a meeting in Brussels
REUTERS/Johanna Geron
At the same time, Stoltenberg confirmed that the NATO mission KFOR was ready to intervene at any time should stability be threatened. The security force stationed in Kosovo since 1999 includes almost 4,000 soldiers.
Serbian President repeats accusations against Kosovo
The EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell Vucic and the Kosovan Prime Minister Albin Kurti have invited to mediation talks this Thursday. Stoltenberg said he encourages all sides to be flexible and constructive.
However, Vucic indicated that he expected difficult talks: “We agree on almost nothing.” At the same time, Vucic rejected the accusation that Serbia was intervening in northern Kosovo, which is predominantly inhabited by ethnic Serbs. “We didn’t provoke.” Rather, he presented a list of “provocations” that the Kosovan authorities had committed against the Serb minority. Under the “pretext” of wanting to fight organized crime, Kosovan police officers would often take action against Serbs.
Legend:
The Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, also met with Stoltenberg in Brussels.
REUTERS/Johanna Geron
Kosovo was part of Serbia until 1999. After an armed uprising by the Kosovar Albanians, NATO used air strikes to force the Serbian state to withdraw. From 1999 to 2008, the UN administration Unmik governed the province. Serbia does not recognize the independence declared by the Kosovars in 2008.