The US and EU warned Kosovo to resolve its standoff with Serbs in the north or face consequences from their Western allies.
The recent warnings were issued as envoys from the United States and the European Union concluded their visits to Kosovo and Serbia, aiming to ease tensions that escalated into violence last week.
The Trigger for Outbreak of Violence in Northern Kosovo
This violence resulted in injuries to numerous NATO peacekeeping soldiers and Serbian
protesters in northern Kosovo. The outbreak of violence occurred after Kosovo authorities appointed ethnic Albanian mayors in municipal offices, despite a low voter turnout of only 3.5% due to a boycott by the majority Serb population in the region.
Gabriel Escobar, the U.S. envoy to the Western Balkans, emphasized that Kosovo must grant greater autonomy to the Serb-majority municipalities if it desires to progress towards NATO and EU membership. Escobar stated to Kosovo media before heading to Belgrade, “The actions taken or not taken could have some consequences that will affect parts of the relationship between Kosovo and the United States, I don’t want to get there.”
Escobar and the EU’s Miroslav Lajcak did not provide specific details regarding the consequences that Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti’s government might face if they do not comply with their demands.
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US Cancelation of Military Exercise
Both the United States and the European Union have urged Kurti to remove the appointed mayors from their positions and withdraw the special police units responsible for their installation in the northern municipalities.
They have also called for fresh local elections in the north with the participation of Serbs and for the implementation of a 2013 agreement to establish an association of Serb municipalities, granting greater autonomy to the Serb community.
Kosovo’s President Vjosa Osmani stated that if 20% of voters in those municipalities sign a petition requesting fresh elections, the country could organize them.
A senior official in Kosovo revealed that Western nations, who have long supported Kosovo’s independence since its formal separation from Serbia in 2008, have warned Kurti that the country could face multiple punitive measures. As a demonstration of repercussions, the United States canceled Kosovo’s participation in a U.S.-led military exercise, Defender Europe.
EU spokesperson Peter Stano mentioned that Miroslav Lajcak will provide a report to EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, who will then consult with member countries.
In response to the recent escalation of violence, NATO deployed an additional 700 troops, supplementing the approximately 4,000 troops already stationed in Kosovo.
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