Authorities in Kosovo have issued a deadline of September 8 for four Serbian institutions to vacate a building located in the Bosniak Neighborhood. They argue that the property falls under the jurisdiction of the North Mitrovica municipality.

The Deputy Director of the Kosovo Police for the North Region, Veton Elshani, stated to Radio Free Europe that they have not received any requests from the municipality to assist in the eviction of these institutions from the building thus far. However, he emphasized that the police are prepared to carry out their duties in response to any official requests.

According to Radio Free Europe’s field team, the situation outside the building appeared calm on the morning of Friday.

Several Serbian institutions, including the Office for Kosovo of the Serbian Government, the Directorate of the Pension and Disability Insurance Fund, the Administrative District of Kosovo’s Mitrovica, and the Social Work Center, have been utilizing this communal building for an extended period.

There have been reports that some employees from these institutions spent the night within the building in question.

An operation aimed at relocating these Serbian institutions from the communal building in North Mitrovica was initially scheduled for August 25 but was postponed for a period of two weeks.

Before this, the municipal inspectorate had issued a warning to these institutions, requesting them to vacate their offices due to their failure to provide documents or contracts demonstrating their legitimate usage of the building.

On September 7, the Director of the Office for Kosovo in the Serbian Government, Petar Petković, addressed the international community, including the QUINT states and the European Union’s representative for dialogue, Miroslav Lajčák. Petković expressed concerns that the eviction notice served to these Serbian institutions from the building could exacerbate the crisis in northern Kosovo and escalate tensions on the ground.

In a letter sent to international representatives, Petković argued that such unilateral and unlawful actions by Pristina constituted a dangerous provocation, posing a threat to the rights and lives of the Serbian population residing in northern Kosovo.

Meanwhile, on September 6, the Serb List, the largest political party representing Kosovo Serbs with the official support of Belgrade, stated that Serbian institutions would not comply with the eviction order.

Authorities in North Mitrovica have asserted that the building rightfully belongs to them and should be vacated due to unspecified construction work. However, they did not provide further details regarding the nature of these construction activities.

North Mitrovica, located in the northern region of Kosovo, is primarily inhabited by Serbs. Since April, this municipality, along with three others in the north, has had Albanian mayors elected in elections boycotted by the local Serbian population.

Tensions in northern Kosovo escalated at the end of May when new Albanian mayors gained access to municipal buildings with the assistance of the Kosovo Police.

Following the intensification of tensions, the Kosovo Government agreed in July to take steps to de-escalate the situation. These measures included establishing a legal framework to facilitate new elections in the four northern municipalities.

In this regard, a new administrative instruction was issued on September 5, allowing for the removal of municipal mayors through a petition.