Following roadblocks and protests at the Serbian border in northern Kosovo on Sunday, Pristina agreed to postpone new travel rules regarding car license plates and travel documents for Serbian visitors today after talks with representatives from the United States (US) and the European Union (EU).
In a press release issued on Sunday night, the Kosovan government condemned the “obstruction of roads” and the “firing of weapons by armed persons,” which it said was designed to “destabilise” and “threaten the peace and security” of the country. “Multiple aggressive acts were perpetrated this afternoon and evening, instigated and planned by Belgrade authorities,” the statement noted.
In cooperation with our international allies, we pledge to postpone implementation of decisions on car plates & entry-exit documents at border crossing points w/ Serbia for 30 days, on the condition that all barricades are removed & complete freedom of movement is restored. pic.twitter.com/oJNaQi0qPO
— Albin Kurti (@albinkurti) July 31, 2022
It also stated that the implementation of the two new travel regulations will come into effect from September 1, “once all barricades are removed and freedom of movement restored on all roads” in northern Kosovo.
On Sunday, ethnic Serbians parked trucks filled with heavy machinery and gravel in a bid to block roads leading to two key border crossings, Jarinje and Brnjak, to protest the new regulations, which required Serbians travelling to the country to get an extra document that is valid for three months; Serbia employs the same measure for Kosovans. It also expected Serbians to get license plates issued by Kosovan authorities.
Facts remain facts: 🇽🇰 agreed to a 🇺🇸 proposal. in line with the 🇪🇺. We agreed on a pause until Sep 1, 2022 - but only if blockades are being removed by Aug 1. Reciprocity will remain the reality. 🇽🇰 has not "postponed" anything, ID card regulation has been enacted by midnight. pic.twitter.com/hfVUZUFwfq
— Donika Gërvalla-Schwarz (@gervallaschwarz) July 31, 2022
Furthermore, the police said that unknown armed men opened fire “in the direction of police units but fortunately, no one was wounded.” They also revealed that some protesters beat up many Albanians passing on the blocked roads and attacked some cars. In response, the police shut down the border crossings.
In a statement, North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), which maintains about 3,700 personnel in the country, admitted that the security situation is “tense” and that they are “prepared to intervene if stability is jeopardised.”
— @NATO - KFOR (@NATO_KFOR) July 31, 2022
Similar protests were also held in September last year when the Kosovan government tried to implement the “reciprocal measure” that mirrors Serbia’s long-established constraints against Kosovan drivers since 2008. In retaliation to Kosovo’s vehicle ban, Serbia increased its forces at the Jarinje border crossing, and Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić claimed that Pristina has historically violated every agreement between the two nations and exacerbated their already sour relations by restricting vehicles.
Following the violent protests on Sunday, Kosovan Prime Minister (PM) Albin Kurti acknowledged in a video statement that the “following hours, days and weeks may be challenging and problematic.”
Welcome Kosovo decision to move measures to 1 September. Expect all roadblocks to be removed immediately.
— Josep Borrell Fontelles (@JosepBorrellF) July 31, 2022
Open issues should be addressed through EU-facilitated Dialogue&focus on comprehensive normalisation of relations btwn Kosovo&Serbia, essential for their EU integration paths
In this respect, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borell welcomed the postponement of the measures and called for the immediate removal of roadblocks. In a similar vein, US Ambassador to Kosovo Jeffrey Hovenier said that the implementation should be delayed for another 30 days “because there seems to be disinformation and misunderstanding of these decisions.” “We hope that we will work with this government and colleagues from the European Union to ensure that these agreements are better understood and thus lower tensions,” he added.
Meanwhile, Vučić, who held a high-level security meeting on Sunday, rejected all claims of instigating the unrest, noting that Pristina is trying to take advantage of the global mood by alluding that “big Putin ordered little Putin, so the new Zelensky in the form of Albin Kurti will save someone and fight against of the great Serbian hegemony” in reference to Serbia’s close ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
For Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, this hurts his pride and he’ll try to save face by making inflammatory statements like the one below to deflect from the fact that his hands are basically tied. https://t.co/hF9PiVCb0Y
— Una Hajdari (@UnaHajdari) July 31, 2022
“We will pray for peace and seek peace, but there will be no surrender and Serbia will win,” Vučić declared in a press conference, adding, “If they dare to persecute and mistreat and kill Serbs, Serbia will win.” However, he also admitted that the situation was “complicated.”
In fact, Vučić has repeatedly criticised Kosovo for fomenting instability. In June, he accused Pristina of planning an assault on northern Kosovo, which is a Serbian majority territory, during a meeting with EU Envoy for the Pristina-Belgrade dialogue Miroslav Lajčak; however, he did not provide any evidence to support his claims.
A leading member of Aleksandar Vucic’s ruling SNS says he thinks Serbia will soon be “forced to start the denazification of the Balkans”.
— Jasmin Mujanović (@JasminMuj) July 31, 2022
His underlings vocalize what Vucic thinks. In continuing to engage w/ his regime, NATO is repeating the mistakes it made w/ Putin. https://t.co/Tm0NkRP591
Against this tense backdrop, he declared last week that there will be no dialogue with Kosovo as long as Kurti is in power “I am worried about Kurti’s irresponsible behaviour, we will do our best to preserve peace and stability, but I am asking a few countries to help us with that, to help us reason with Kurti,” he claimed during an interview with Euronews Serbia.
Meanwhile, Kurti told Voice of America that he hopes to hold a constructive discussion with Vučić in Brussels later this month. “We have never denied the importance of these talks, but we have said that they should be principled talks in which Kosovo is a party and not a topic as it has been in the past,” he remarked, adding, “We accept that our relations with Serbia are not normal… Therefore, we want the normalisation of these relations, which should have the goal of a legally binding agreement focused on mutual recognition.”
Tonight’s tension on the border between Serbia and Kosovo indicates that Russia may be considering other fronts; if the war in Ukraine is not going their way, they might stir up allies like Serbia to re-open old fault-lines. Worrying times for European leaders.
— Lindsey Hilsum (@lindseyhilsum) July 31, 2022
The centuries-old conflict engulfing the two nations came to a turning point during the 1990s when Kosovo declared its independence. Since then, Serbia has refused to accept Kosovo’s statehood and claims sovereignty over the region despite having no formal control. Over the years, the conflict has manifested itself in continued aggression at their borders. The global community, including the 110 nations that recognise Kosovo’s statehood, the EU, NATO, and the United Nations, have called for the cessation of hostilities.