French President Emmanuel Macron declared that Kosovo’s authorities “must take accountability for the increased tensions” in the north of Kosovo, ever since the newly elected Albanian mayors took to their offices in the Serb-majority municipalities.
Speaking at the GLOBSEC forum in Bratislava, Macron said Kosovo officials bear “responsibility” following clashes this week, where 30 KFOR peacekeeping soldiers sustained injuries.
His comments are in coordination with the statements of the United States and other QUINT countries, which blamed the Government of Kosovo for the tense situation in the north of the country.
The US Secretary of State Antony Blinken strongly condemned the actions of the Government of Kosovo, which, according to him, are escalating the situation in the north and are increasing the instability there.
Blinken said that these actions were taken “against the advice of the United States and Kosovo’s European partners”.
Even the EU’s head of diplomacy Josep Borrell said that Kosovo must immediately suspend all police actions in the municipal buildings in the north, as “the first step towards de-escalation of tensions, until the violent protesters are stopped”.
On May 26th, the Kosovo Police assisted the newly elected mayors in Zubin Potok, Zvečan and Leposavić to enter municipal offices in the northern municipalities of Kosovo.
The escalation in the north culminated this Monday, when KFOR peacekeeping troops intervened in Zvečan “to avoid clashes between parties and minimize the risk of escalation”, and were attacked by several violent protesters, which the Government of Kosovo called “Serbian criminal mobs”.
30 KFOR soldiers sustained injuries during these clashes, prompting NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg to announce the deployment of 700 additional troops in Kosovo.
Albanian mayors were elected in the April 23rd special local elections in the four northern municipalities of Kosovo, largely boycotted by the Serb community.
