Kosova Prime Minister, Albin Kurti, accuses Russia of igniting tensions between his country and Serbia. According to Kurti, the increase of tensions between the two countries is to the benefit of Putin, because he was seriously “wounded” after the invasion and aggression in Ukraine, while Belgrade took the first step of troops deployment in the region.

Kurti expressed concern that the tense situation could escalate to Vladimir Putin’s advantage, as Russian and Serbian forces have conducted 104 joint military exercises in 2021.

Kosova Prime Minister has agreed to allow NATO-led troops, known as KFOR, time to persuade those at the barricades to withdraw, but that they (barricades) could not be allowed to stay longer. He described the barricades as a step towards dividing the country, which has been independent from Serbia since 2008.

“Our concern is that the removal of these barricades cannot exclude the victims. And that is why we want to be as careful as possible to make sure that there will be no destabilization and that there will be relative peace and security. However, we cannot allow this violation of legality and constitutionality forever. So yes, this has to end, the sooner the better.” said the Prime Minister of Kosovo while adding that “EU-USA all agree that the barricades should be removed. But they are also worried about how this could be used and abused by Belgrade. I think that the concern of our Western partners and friends is Belgrade’s ties with Moscow. We don’t know how they can be put into operation in case of increased tensions, towards escalation in the north. I think their main concern is precisely this: now that Russia has been seriously injured in Ukraine after its invasion and aggression, they have the interest to spread. They are interested in transferring their war-mongering efforts to the Balkans, where they have a client in Belgrade,” said Kurti.

Ethnic Serbs in the north of Mitrovica, where they are in majority, have set up barricades for more than a week, preventing the free movement of Kosova authorities, despite calls from the US and the EU to dismantle the illegal road blocks.

The main point of tension remains Belgrade’s refusal to recognize Kosova’s independence. The EU has sought to broker a deal that could see relations normalize, but Kurti said the even deeper ties between Belgrade and Moscow constitute an obstacle to progress.

A Franco-German proposal had suggested that in return for Belgrade not standing in the way of admitting Kosova in the UN as a member state, Serbia would receive EU financial support and a fast track to EU membership.

Kosova needs Serbia’s approval to become a member of the UN, because their allies Russia and China have the right of veto in the Security Council.

Vucic has also stood out against EU sanctions against Russia relative to the war in Ukraine. Coordination between the armies of the two countries has intensified in recent years.

Kurti said he still hoped Serbia would eventually join the EU along with Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Kosova.

“There is a war in Ukraine, let’s prevent it from spreading. So EU membership helps. We know there is a long road ahead. For Finland and Sweden it was three years, and for Malta and Cyprus, 14. The average is nine. And I said publicly, ‘Let’s aim for the average.’ I see a certain willingness in the EU to think differently since the continent is at war,” Kurti said.

It has been 11 days this Tuesday that several border points in the north of Kosova have been blocked by Serb barricades.

/a.p./