The European Union said it is carefully following developments in the north of Kosovo related to the operation of services supported by Serbia. The spokesperson of the bloc, Peter Stano, said that these issues should be addressed within the Brussels dialogue for the normalization of relations between Kosovo and Serbia.

“We are following the developments and are aware of the reports about the arrest of a Serbian school principal in Kosovo. I can recall that the EU has been very, very clear that the status and transition of some services supported by Serbia, especially the school and educational system, should be addressed in the dialogue facilitated by the EU, in parallel with the establishment of the Association of municipalities with a Serbian majority, which is an indispensable obligation of the Kosovo authorities”, said Stano, calling for restraint from unilateral steps.

The government of Kosovo, led by Albin Kurti, has undertaken several actions in the north, which have been criticized by the international factor. The Kosovo executive has banned the use of the Serbian dinar, has closed several branches of the Serbian post office, as well as parallel institutions, saying that they violated the constitutionality of Kosovo.

In September of this year, the Minister for Communities and Return in the Government of Kosovo, Nenad Rashić, told Radio Free Europe that the educational and health institutions in the north, that operate according to the Serbian system, currently, are not threatened by the possible closure, but he added that the Serbs of Kosovo “must be ready for a scenario that we will not like”.