In clashes with Serbian protesters in northern Kosovo, 25 NATO soldiers guarding municipal buildings were injured, while the Serbian president has declared the army on the highest alert, writes Reuters.
The official statement of the NATO peacekeeping mission in Kosovo says that soldiers from the Hungarian and Italian contingents were injured.
Hungarian Defense Minister Kristof Szalay-Bobrovniczky informed that seven soldiers were seriously injured and will be taken to Hungary for treatment. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni stated that what happened was unacceptable and said: “It is vital to avoid further unilateral actions on the part of the Kosovar authorities and that
all the parties in question immediately take a step back to ease the tensions.”
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic informed that 52 Serbs were injured, three of whom were seriously injured. Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani has accused Vucic of deliberately destabilizing the situation in Kosovo.
Vucic meanwhile said that Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti was creating tensions and called on Kosovo Serbs to avoid clashes with NATO peacekeepers.
Disagreements erupted after ethnic Albanians took the mayoral seats in northern Kosovo.
Witnesses reported that in Zvecan, the Kosovo police, which is mainly made up of ethnic Albanians after a mass walkout by ethnic Serbs, used pepper spray to stop a crowd that broke through barriers and tried to enter the municipal building. Protesters, in turn, threw tear gas and stun grenades at NATO soldiers. Protesters also marked NATO vehicles with the letters “Z”, thus referring to the symbolism used by Russia in Ukraine.
The northern part of Kosovo is mostly inhabited by ethnic Serbs, who have not recognized the independence of Kosovo declared in 2008, and still consider Belgrade as their capital. In Kosovo, 90% of the population are ethnic Albanians, and the Serbs of the northern part have long been demanding the implementation of the agreement led by the European Union in 2013, which provides for the establishment of an association of autonomous municipalities in their inhabited regions.
In April, Kosovo Serbs refused to participate in municipal elections,
and as a result, Albanians became leaders in the municipalities inhabited by them. It should be noted that only 3.5% of the voting population participated in the elections in northern Kosovo. The Serbs are now demanding that Pristina remove the Albanian mayors from their posts and allow the Belgrade-funded administration to continue.
The United States and other allies, which generally show strong support for Kosovo’s independence, have condemned Pristina’s appointment of mayors, saying the appointment of officials who lack public support poses a serious threat to efforts to normalize the situation. Kurti, however, defended Pristina’s position, stating that mayors will serve all residents.