Recent developments, including NATO’s growing military presence, are exacerbating tensions in Kosovo, and Serbia’s upcoming elections on December 17 represent another potential escalation.
On September 24, a police patrol near the village of Banjska in northern Kosovo was ambushed by armed Serbian paramilitaries, resulting in the death of a police officer. The attackers then fled to a monastery near the Kosovo-Serbia border, sparking an exchange of fire with police. Three armed Serbs were killed, while the remaining individuals were apprehended or managed to escape. It is one of the most serious cases of violence in the country since the end of the Kosovo war in 1999.
Following the incident, Pristina and Belgrade engaged in a blame game. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic blamed the unrest on what he described as the “terror” of the Kosovo government, suggesting it had incited a rebellion among the Serb minority in the northern region. In response, Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti accused Serbia of financially and logistically supporting organized crime and paramilitary groups attacking his country. This assertion was strongly denied by Belgrade.
This latest upsurge in conflict reflects several significant facts. On the one hand, Belgrade persists in exploiting the Kosovo issue to divert attention from internal challenges. There are indications that Vucic may be losing influence over Serbian allies in northern Kosovo. In this conflict, Serbia could involve other neighboring states, not militarily for the moment, but certainly in a kind of diplomatic war. Furthermore, the dynamics of negotiations between Serbia and Kosovo have weakened, which could lead to new outbreaks.
White House spokesman John Kirby reported on September 29 that Serbia was amassing an unprecedented number of forces on the border with Kosovo, despite the presence of 4,500 NATO troops stationed in Kosovo. as part of KFOR’s peacekeeping mission. The deployment raises concerns about a potential military confrontation, but it has not yet escalated.
On October 23, the UN Security Council held its second annual briefing on Kosovo. I attended this meeting and could feel the palpable energy in the room, with delegations eager to present their views and information on the Kosovo issue while calling for solutions.
The Western bloc supports the EU-facilitated dialogue, which aims to resolve the crisis between Serbia and Kosovo, particularly given recent tensions in northern Kosovo. With recent incidents of shootings and killings, the international community’s attention is now turning to this issue. Another proposal before the UN Security Council is to end UNMIK, the UN-led mission in Kosovo. EU-led dialogue and facilitation of negotiations between Serbia and Kosovo have diminished the importance of UNMIK in recent developments. Consequently, a majority of Western members in the UN Security Council have suggested its closure.
During the last meeting held on October 26 in Brussels, Prime Minister Kurti spoke with German Chancellor Scholz, Italian Prime Minister Meloni and French President Macron. Previously, representatives of the main EU countries presented a draft statute to Prime Minister Kurti in Pristina. Subsequently, at a press conference the next day, Prime Minister Kurti affirmed the high probability of the creation of the Community of Serbian Municipalities in Kosovo.
Furthermore, recent EU initiatives have led to an update of the draft statute of the Community of Serbian Municipalities of Kosovo. Even the United States, as indicated by the American embassy in Pristina, assured that the Community would not have executive powers and would not constitute an additional level of government or autonomy.
According to credible sources, Prime Minister Kurti of Kosovo has accepted the creation of the Community of Serbian Municipalities of Kosovo on the basis of the latest status proposed by the EU, a document in which the Friedrich Ebert Foundation collaborated. One of the main goals of the ongoing dialogue between Brussels, Belgrade and Pristina is the creation of Serbian municipalities in Kosovo.
Kurti’s position has undergone a significant transformation since he took office. At first, he categorically stated that there would be no possibility of creating the Community of Serbian Municipalities. However, over time his rhetoric softened, emphasizing that there would be no “single national community”. The EU is closely following developments in Kosovo and urges Belgrade and Pristina to quickly find a peaceful solution. Therefore, increased diplomatic efforts have been made to achieve these objectives.
The recent summit held in Tirana, Albania on October 16 saw intense EU diplomacy, negotiations and efforts regarding Western Balkans issues. Under the auspices of the Berlin Process, discussions focused on solutions for Kosovo and the broader topic of EU expansion in the Western Balkans.
Some of the important points of the draft statute of the Community of Serbian Municipalities that Prime Minister Kurti agreed to:
- The Community carries out its activities on the basis of the Constitution of Kosovo.
- The Community will have its own official symbols, including a coat of arms and a flag.
- The Community maintains contacts with Serbia and receives direct aid, particularly financial and material.
- The Community will manage the education and health establishments that it finances directly from Serbia.
- The Community of Communes will be composed of the following bodies:
- Assembly
- President and Vice President
- Advice
- Committee
- Office of Complaints and Appeals
- The Community will have its own budget.
- The Community will cooperate with the central authorities of Kosovo on the basis of cooperation, without legislative power.
- The Community oversees education, health, local economic development, culture, urban and rural planning and Serbian-funded institutions in member areas, with the possibility of additional tasks assigned to the central level.
- The Northern Police Commander is chosen from the list presented by the Community of Communes.
- The Community of Municipalities will adopt measures to support the return of exiles and refugees to Kosovo.
- The statute will be sent to the Constitutional Court for review of constitutionality.
When asked about the constitutionality of the Statute, the President of the Assembly (Parliament) of Kosovo indicated that in his opinion the Statute appeared constitutional. However, contrasting public opinions, including that of the former head of Kosovo’s secret service, believe that the statute lacks constitutionality and therefore the creation of the Community of Serbian Municipalities should not take place.
Both President Osmani and Prime Minister Kurti expressed uncertainty about the constitutionality of the Statute and referred the final decision to the Constitutional Court of Kosovo. If the Kosovo authorities accepted the provisions of the Statute and proceeded with the creation of the Community of Serbian Municipalities, there would be concerns about a scenario reminiscent of that of the Republika Srpska and potential future challenges in relations with the Serbian minority in Kosovo and in the Republic of Serbia.
The international community and the EU believe that the creation of the Community of Serbian Municipalities in Kosovo could pave the way for a compromise, leading to de facto recognition of Kosovo by Serbia.
With the next elections in Serbia scheduled for December 17, there are signs of a reorganization within the political structure of Kosovo Serbs, who appear to be cautious in their relations with Belgrade and President Vucic.
“Even after international pressure, Serbia has still not withdrawn all its troops and artillery from the surroundings of Kosovo territory. It continues to threaten the security of the Republic of Kosovo with the forward operating bases of the Serbian Armed Forces along the border with our country. In addition, Serbia has deployed anti-aircraft systems near the border with Kosovo,” said Prime Minister Kurti.
The tensions also involve a direct military presence. Prime Minister Kurit described in his latest statement the shooting and kidnapping of Kosovo Border Police officers:
In Raska, Serbia, the paramilitary and terrorist reorganization of Milan Radoicic and his group is taking place, with the instructions and support of the Serbian state.
On Friday, November 10, he led a meeting with around 40 Serbian politicians and heads of illegal municipalities in Kosovo. At the meeting held at the Raska House of Culture, he was accompanied by Svetlana Miladinov, deputy of Petar Petkovic, coordinator of Serbia’s so-called Kosovo office.
In this meeting, in addition to the deputies of the Serbian List, also participated its new president Zlatan Elek and the vice-presidents Dragisa Milovic and Dalibor Jevtic. Mobilization has been called for to vote for the state party in Serbia, the SNS, in the December 17 elections. Those on the payroll have been conditioned to these measures, while others have been offered jobs for a period of 3 to 6 months.
After the terrorist attack in the north, Millan Radoicic was released a day later to continue his paramilitary and terrorist activities in service of Serbia’s state policy against Kosovo.
It was five months after the kidnapping in Leposavic of our border guards Rifat Zeka, Beqir Sefa and Shemë Mustafa and eight weeks after the murder of Kosovo Police Sergeant Afrim Bunjaku.
KFOR, EULEX and the EU should issue a public and official report in which they attribute the act of aggression and the crime of terrorism to Serbia and condemn the reorganization of Radoicic’s group.
Even after international pressure, Serbia has still not withdrawn all its troops and artillery from the surroundings of Kosovo territory. It continues to threaten the security of the Republic of Kosovo with the forward operating bases of the Serbian Armed Forces along the border with our country. Furthermore, Serbia has deployed anti-aircraft systems near the border with Kosovo.
The threat posed by Russia and Serbia to the stability, peace and security of the region is increasingly being noticed. Russia aims to light a fire of crisis in the EU’s backyard, to defocus NATO, while Serbia realizes its territorial ambitions towards its neighbors according to the “Serbian World” project, by Vulin and Vucic.
The absence of sanctions against Serbia increases the threat level in the Western Balkans. The leaders of the terrorist group, instead of facing justice in Kosovo, continue to plan further attacks against Kosovo and collect votes by blackmailing Kosovo Serbs.
Events in Kosovo and the Western Balkans are poised to be influenced by upcoming elections in Serbia, particularly the way the ruling Serbian Progressive Party is exploiting the media and propaganda to whip up tensions. nationalism while diverting attention from real domestic concerns. In this scenario, the Serbian political elite will exploit the delicate relations with Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia as pawns in its political maneuvers.
