Belgrade: tension between Serbia And Kosovo Violence flared up again this week after Kosovo’s police raided Serb-majority areas in the north of the region and seized local municipality buildings.
Violent clashes have broken out between Kosovo’s police and NATO-led peacekeepers on one side and local Serbs on the other, injuring dozens on both sides.
Serbia raised the combat readiness of its troops stationed near the border and warned that they would not stand by if Serbs in Kosovo were attacked again. The situation has rekindled fears of a renewal of the 1998–99 conflict in Kosovo, which killed more than 10,000 people and left more than 1 million homeless.
Why are there differences between Serbia and Kosovo?
Kosovo is a region with a predominantly ethnic Albanian population that was formerly a province of Serbia. It declared independence in 2008.
Serbia has refused to recognize the Kingdom of Kosovo and still considers it a part of Serbia, even though it has no formal control there.
Kosovo’s independence has been recognized by nearly 100 countries, including the United States. Russia, China and five EU countries, most of them with their own separatist regions, have taken Serbia’s side. The standoff after bloody wars in the 1990s has eased tensions and prevented full stabilization of the Balkan region.
What was the reaction of Serbia’s allies?
Russian Foreign Minister sergei lavrov Said that the situation in Kosovo is worrying and it could provoke another conflict in the heart of Europe.
According to the Russian state news agency RIA Novosti, “a huge explosion is being prepared in the center of Europe, where NATO invaded Yugoslavia in 1999, violating every imaginable (international) principle.”
China said it was closely monitoring the developments.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman mao ning urged NATO to “respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the relevant countries and do what is right in the interest of regional peace.”
What is the latest flare about?
Serbs last month boycotted local elections in northern Kosovo, where they are in a majority. Last Friday, the newly elected ethnic Albanian mayors moved into their offices with the help of Kosovo’s riot police.
Serbs tried to prevent the new mayors from occupying the compound, but the police fired tear gas to disperse them.
On Monday, Serbs fought fierce clashes with NATO peacekeepers, injuring more than 50 rioters and 30 international soldiers.
Elections were boycotted in November 2022 following mass resignations by Serb officials in the region, including administrative staff, judges and police officers.
What is NATO doing in Kosovo?
As of this week, around 3,800 NATO troops were stationed in Kosovo, mainly on peacekeeping duties, but also to keep watch over the borders, especially with Serbia where Belgrade is currently increasing its military presence. .
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on Tuesday that the alliance had sent 700 more troops to Kosovo to help quell violent protests and had another battalion on standby in case riots broke out.
How deep is the ethnic conflict in Kosovo?
The dispute over Kosovo is centuries old. Serbia considers this region to be the center of its state and religion.
There are several medieval Serb Orthodox Christian monasteries in Kosovo. Watch the 1389 battle against the Serb nationalists Ottoman Turk There as a symbol of his national struggle.
Kosovo’s majority, ethnic Albanians, consider Kosovo their country and accuse Serbia of occupation and repression. Ethnic Albanian rebels began fighting to rid the country of Serbian rule in 1998.
Belgrade’s brutal response prompted NATO intervention in 1999, which forced Serbia to pull out and hand over control to international peacekeepers.
Have efforts been made to resolve the dispute?
There have been persistent international efforts to find common ground between the two former wartime foes, but no final comprehensive agreement has yet been reached.
European Union officials have mediated talks designed to normalize relations between Serbia and Kosovo. Many agreements have been made, but rarely implemented on the ground. Results have been seen in some areas, such as introducing freedom of movement within the country.
Who are the main players?
Kosovo and Serbia are both led by nationalist leaders who have shown no willingness to compromise.
In Kosovo, Albin Kurti, a former student protest leader and political prisoner in Serbia, leads the government and is the main negotiator in EU-mediated talks. He was also known as a fierce supporter of the integration of Kosovo with Albania and is against any kind of agreement with Serbia.
Serbia is led by populist President Aleksandar Vucic, who was Minister of Information during the war in Kosovo. The former ultranationalist insists there must be an agreement to finalize any solution and says the country will not settle until it gets something.
what happens next?
International officials are hoping to speed up talks and reach a solution in the coming months.
If both countries want to move towards EU membership, they will have to normalize relations. Any major breakthrough would mean the continued prospect of prolonged instability, economic decline and conflict.
Any Serbian military intervention in Kosovo would mean a conflict with NATO peacekeepers stationed there.
Violent clashes have broken out between Kosovo’s police and NATO-led peacekeepers on one side and local Serbs on the other, injuring dozens on both sides.
Serbia raised the combat readiness of its troops stationed near the border and warned that they would not stand by if Serbs in Kosovo were attacked again. The situation has rekindled fears of a renewal of the 1998–99 conflict in Kosovo, which killed more than 10,000 people and left more than 1 million homeless.
Why are there differences between Serbia and Kosovo?
Kosovo is a region with a predominantly ethnic Albanian population that was formerly a province of Serbia. It declared independence in 2008.
Serbia has refused to recognize the Kingdom of Kosovo and still considers it a part of Serbia, even though it has no formal control there.
Kosovo’s independence has been recognized by nearly 100 countries, including the United States. Russia, China and five EU countries, most of them with their own separatist regions, have taken Serbia’s side. The standoff after bloody wars in the 1990s has eased tensions and prevented full stabilization of the Balkan region.
What was the reaction of Serbia’s allies?
Russian Foreign Minister sergei lavrov Said that the situation in Kosovo is worrying and it could provoke another conflict in the heart of Europe.
According to the Russian state news agency RIA Novosti, “a huge explosion is being prepared in the center of Europe, where NATO invaded Yugoslavia in 1999, violating every imaginable (international) principle.”
China said it was closely monitoring the developments.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman mao ning urged NATO to “respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the relevant countries and do what is right in the interest of regional peace.”
What is the latest flare about?
Serbs last month boycotted local elections in northern Kosovo, where they are in a majority. Last Friday, the newly elected ethnic Albanian mayors moved into their offices with the help of Kosovo’s riot police.
Serbs tried to prevent the new mayors from occupying the compound, but the police fired tear gas to disperse them.
On Monday, Serbs fought fierce clashes with NATO peacekeepers, injuring more than 50 rioters and 30 international soldiers.
Elections were boycotted in November 2022 following mass resignations by Serb officials in the region, including administrative staff, judges and police officers.
What is NATO doing in Kosovo?
As of this week, around 3,800 NATO troops were stationed in Kosovo, mainly on peacekeeping duties, but also to keep watch over the borders, especially with Serbia where Belgrade is currently increasing its military presence. .
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on Tuesday that the alliance had sent 700 more troops to Kosovo to help quell violent protests and had another battalion on standby in case riots broke out.
How deep is the ethnic conflict in Kosovo?
The dispute over Kosovo is centuries old. Serbia considers this region to be the center of its state and religion.
There are several medieval Serb Orthodox Christian monasteries in Kosovo. Watch the 1389 battle against the Serb nationalists Ottoman Turk There as a symbol of his national struggle.
Kosovo’s majority, ethnic Albanians, consider Kosovo their country and accuse Serbia of occupation and repression. Ethnic Albanian rebels began fighting to rid the country of Serbian rule in 1998.
Belgrade’s brutal response prompted NATO intervention in 1999, which forced Serbia to pull out and hand over control to international peacekeepers.
Have efforts been made to resolve the dispute?
There have been persistent international efforts to find common ground between the two former wartime foes, but no final comprehensive agreement has yet been reached.
European Union officials have mediated talks designed to normalize relations between Serbia and Kosovo. Many agreements have been made, but rarely implemented on the ground. Results have been seen in some areas, such as introducing freedom of movement within the country.
Who are the main players?
Kosovo and Serbia are both led by nationalist leaders who have shown no willingness to compromise.
In Kosovo, Albin Kurti, a former student protest leader and political prisoner in Serbia, leads the government and is the main negotiator in EU-mediated talks. He was also known as a fierce supporter of the integration of Kosovo with Albania and is against any kind of agreement with Serbia.
Serbia is led by populist President Aleksandar Vucic, who was Minister of Information during the war in Kosovo. The former ultranationalist insists there must be an agreement to finalize any solution and says the country will not settle until it gets something.
what happens next?
International officials are hoping to speed up talks and reach a solution in the coming months.
If both countries want to move towards EU membership, they will have to normalize relations. Any major breakthrough would mean the continued prospect of prolonged instability, economic decline and conflict.
Any Serbian military intervention in Kosovo would mean a conflict with NATO peacekeepers stationed there.