Despite the fact that 3 months have passed since the tension in the north of Kosovo on May 29, which resulted in the wounding of 30 NATO (KFOR) soldiers in Kosovo by the Serbs and the amputation of the leg of 1 KFOR soldier, “normalization” in the region has not yet been realized, writes Anadolu.
Kosovo Serbs continue to wait in front of the municipalities of Zveçan, Leposaviq and Zubin Potok, with fewer people than in May, demanding the resignation of the elected Albanian mayors. KFOR soldiers continue to stand guard around the municipal buildings and Kosovo police inside the buildings.
Before the assumption of office by the Albanian mayors, in these 3 municipal facilities, where tensions were experienced, integrated into the Serbian institutions, “parallel community” activities took place. These “parallel municipality” workers, whose salaries are paid by Serbia, are the ones who wait in front of municipal facilities. During the working days, the signatures of the employees are taken accurately at the beginning and at the end of the working hours and the continuity of the protests is ensured.
Kosovo does not want to compromise its sovereignty within its borders, but since Western countries do not want a new problem in Europe after Ukraine, they are trying to convince the country’s institutions not to take steps that will create tension applying “punitive sanctions”.
Speaking about the possibility of developing the academic year remotely in the north of Kosovo, it can be seen that normalization in the region will not happen completely for a while.
Lulzim Hetemi, the mayor of the municipality, has not left the municipality for 3 months
Lulzim Hetemi, the new Albanian mayor of the municipality of Leposaviq, elected in May, entered his office with the help of the special unit of the Kosovo police in the early morning of May 29 and has not been reported to have left the municipality since then. .
Hetemi eats, works, takes care of himself and sleeps in the commune. Hetemi, who avoids making statements to journalists, only posts about the affairs of the municipality on his account on social networks.
The possibility of new tensions in the region
Unlike the other 3 municipalities in the region, the Albanian mayor of North Mitrovica Municipality did not encounter resistance from the local Serbs when he took his post.
The Serbs did not protest in front of the municipality building since the municipal services of Kosovo and Serbia are provided in separate buildings, but the elected Albanian president has given Serbia until September 8 to evacuate the integrated municipal building.
The leaders of Kosovo and Serbia are expected to meet in Brussels in September, under the mediation of the European Union (EU), for de-escalation in the region. Kosovo plans to hold early local elections in the region to remove the criminal sanctions imposed on the country by the EU.
What happened?
On May 26, Kosovo Serbs protested against the election of Albanian mayors who won the April 23 local elections in the municipalities of Zveçan, Zubin Potok and Leposaviq, where Serbs are concentrated in the north of the country.
There was a clash between the Kosovo police, which was sent to the region to protect the Albanian leaders, and the Kosovo Serbs.
Serbia arrested three people, who were found to be members of the Kosovo police, in the border region of the two countries on the grounds that they were “planning an action in Serbia” on June 14, while Kosovo claimed that the policemen had been “kidnapped” by Serbia . Serbia released the Kosovo policemen on June 26.
While the Kosovo police have detained around 10 Kosovo Serbs for various reasons, Serbia has demanded that these people be released as soon as possible.
After the events that took place in Kosovo, the Turkish commando battalion, consisting of approximately 500 soldiers, was assigned at the request of the NATO Joint Forces Command and was charged with securing the municipalities in the north of Kosovo.
The main reason for the tension between the two countries, which come face to face at regular intervals, is that Serbia sees Kosovo, which declared independence in 2008, as its territory.
Within the Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue Process, launched in 2011 with the mediation of the EU, efforts are being made to find a common path for the normalization of relations and eventually for the recognition of the two countries.
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