Former KFOR advisor Alessandro Politi stated in an interview to Euronews Albania that the abduction of three policemen in northern Kosovo is an incident that burdens politics.
He stated that dialogue has always been difficult between the two sides, but previously both parties were seen as responsible.
“These kinds of incidents can happen, and unfortunately, it happened. I’m not saying it will happen again, but unfortunately, it happened. As long as there have been joint patrols between KFOR and the Kosovo Police around the demilitarized zone of 1000 meters, the border, because there have been accurate agreements and defined procedures. This is unfortunately a fact. The fact that it happened now certainly complicates the political situation, but every institution and government must make their own choices,” said Politi.
The former KFOR advisor added that he is concerned about the fact that the United States suspended Kosovo’s participation in the “Defender Europe ‘23” military exercise and that the EU has threatened to slap sanctions over Kosovo.
“I hope that good political negotiation can restore the balance because I am sure that both countries need to have a common Euro-Atlantic approach,” Politi stated.
Tensions between Kosovo and Serbia have been high since May and escalated on the 29th when Serbian protesters clashed with KFOR soldiers in the northern municipality of Zvečan, with dozens of injuries reported on both sides.
The international community is urging Kosovo to immediately de-escalate the situation, namely by withdrawing the special police units from the north, organizing new local elections, and returning to dialogue with Serbia.
On the other hand, official requests from Belgrade demand ensuring the unhindered participation of Serbs in possible local elections.
The extraordinary elections in April, which resulted in the election of Albanian mayors, who assumed offices escorted by Kosovo Police, thus angering local Serbs, were boycotted by this community.
