The Albanian government has reacted harshly to the recent tensions in northern Kosovo, pointing to Serbian criminal groups as the main perpetrators.
Foreign Minister, Olta Xhacka asked Serbia not to justify these groups and the barricades they have set up while warning that playing with fire is a very bad idea.
However, her Serbian counterpart described this reaction as just another encouragement for Kurti to continue with his provocations.
“The barricades were erected in the north, not by some wave of popular discontent, but by a group of notorious criminals. We are with Kosovo in this difficult situation and call on Serbian authorities not to justify either the barricades or the criminal groups that refuse to remove them. Playing with fire is a very bad idea for the future of all of our children”, declared Xhacka.
But Serbia doesn’t seem to have taken these statements lightly, accusing Xhacka through her counterpart, Ivica Dacic, that she will be held responsible for them, adding that these kinds of statements only encourage Kurti to create further instability in the region.
“In none of her words did she remind Kurti that he has an international obligation to implement the Brussels Agreement, Resolution 1244, not send Albanian armed units to the north, and not arrest Serbs just because they are Serbs. Instead of warning him not to threaten peace and stability in the region, the Albanian minister encourages him to further his provocations. Therefore, she and the entire international community bear a great responsibility for everything that is happening and could happen in Kosovo”, declared Dacic.
Tensions in northern Kosovo and the warnings of Serbia’s president, Aleksandar Vucic, about the possibility of war, seem to have resulted in the first serious clash between Tirana and Belgrade.
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