Serbia has put its security forces on the border between the two countries on “full operational readiness” amid tensions with neighboring Kosovo, a senior Serbian official said, despite calls from the European Union and NATO to ease tensions between the two former wartime foes. The country de-escalates the current tension.
Serbian Defense Minister Vucevic said in a statement later on the 26th, “Serbian President Vucic ordered the Serbian army to enter the highest level of combat readiness, that is, the level of use of force.”
He added that Serbian President Vučić had also ordered the special forces to be increased from the current 1,500 to 5,000.
Interior Minister Bratislav Gašić said he had ordered the police and other security forces to “full combat readiness” and put them under the command of the army chief of staff according to a “battle plan”.
He said in a statement that he was acting on the orders of President Vucic in order to “take all measures to protect the Serbs in Kosovo”.
Before Vucic issued this order, Serbian Army Commander-in-Chief Mojsilovic was sent to the Kosovo border on the 25th, but it is unclear what this new order means for the border area-Serbian troops are already on the border. The area was on alert for some time.
Northern Kosovo has been under tension since November, when hundreds of Serbs working in the Kosovo police and judiciary, such as judges and prosecutors, went on strike to protest a controversial decision to Serbs living in Kosovo are prohibited from using Belgrade-issued license plates.
Serbia does not recognize Kosovo’s 2008 declaration of independence and has long engaged in a “show of force” against the now independent Kosovo, where ongoing tensions remain a potential flashpoint. So far, mediation efforts by Western countries to resolve the issue have failed.
Earlier on the 26th, the NATO-led peacekeeping force said it was investigating the shooting incident in the restive northern part of Kosovo and urged all parties to remain calm. Meanwhile, top Serbian military officials inspected their troops in the border area to show their readiness.
The incident on the evening of the 25th occurred in Zubin Potok. In the past two weeks, local Serbs have been setting up roadblocks in the town, and the local situation is also in a state of high tension.
Peacekeepers said the shooting occurred near one of their patrols and involved unidentified individuals. A statement said no one was injured and that “we are working to establish all the facts”.
The Kosovo-based international security force said in a statement that “all parties concerned should refrain from any statements or actions that could lead to an escalation of tensions.” The best solution for safety.”
Fears of violence have risen sharply since Russia started the war in Ukraine. The United States and most EU countries have recognized Kosovo’s independence, while Serbia relies on China and Russia to maintain its sovereignty over the province.
The escalating tensions on the ground touch on multiple issues as the international community works to step up mediation efforts. Most recently, Serbs in the north set up roadblocks to protest the arrest of a former Serb police officer.
The Kosovo government asked NATO forces, which were deployed in 1999 after NATO bombed Serbia to force it out of Kosovo, to dismantle Serb roadblocks. The peacekeeping force in Kosovo said on Twitter that Kosovo Prime Minister Kurti, Kosovo Force Commander Angelo Michel Ristuca, and EU security mission chief Las-Ghana Wigmark met on the 26th. A meeting was held to discuss the current situation.
“The common conclusion of the meeting was that freedom of movement should be restored and there should be no roadblocks on any road,” Kurti’s office said.
Serbia has asked the KFOR to deploy up to 1,000 troops in heavily Serb-inhabited northern Kosovo areas to protect Kosovo Serbs from harassment by ethnic Albanians, who form a majority in Kosovo. So far, this request has not been granted.
Adding to the current tension is that the Serbian Patriarch Porfirije was denied entry at the Kosovo border on the 26th, after he had previously expressed his desire to deliver a peaceful speech on the Serbian Orthodox Christmas on January 7.