Chief of the General Staff of the Serbian Army, General Milan Mojsilović stated on June 23 that he has requested the NATO mission in Kosovo, KFOR, to take urgent measures to protect the Serbian population in Kosovo.
He made the announcement during a brief media address on the day when the Kosovo Police also arrested a Serbian individual suspected of participating in the attack against KFOR troops on May 29 in Zvečan.
General Mojsilović stated he had informed KFOR commander Major General Angelo Michele Ristuccia that “we are closely monitoring the events with great concern”.
“We demand that urgent measures be taken to protect the Serbian population and their right to survival. This is our plea to the units of KFOR and other international security institutions in Kosovo and Metohija,” said Mojsilović.
He added that the Serbian Army will fulfill all international legal obligations arising from United Nations Resolution 1244. According to him, it is clear that the international community is not fulfilling its obligations.
“The Serbian Army, in accordance with the Serbian Constitution and the UN Charter, will fulfill all its duties in their entirety regarding the general security crisis if ordered by the supreme commander,” Mojsilović said.
On June 23, the Kosovo Police arrested a Serbian individual in North Mitrovica, suspected of participating in the attack against KFOR.
Kosovo’s Minister of Interior Xhelal Sveçla stated that Nenad Orlović is suspected of being part of the group that attacked KFOR troops on May 29. Dozens of people from both sides were injured in the clashes between Serbs and KFOR.
Authorities in Kosovo have claimed that “criminal groups supported by Belgrade” are behind the attack in Zvečan, one of the four municipalities in northern Kosovo predominantly inhabited by Serbs.
The Office for Kosovo in the Serbian Government condemned the arrest, alleging that Kosovo’s Prime Minister Albin Kurti is “sabotaging” the European Union facilitated dialogue towards the normalization of Kosovo-Serbia relations.
Tensions in northern Kosovo have been escalating since May 26 when the police assisted new Albanian mayors in entering municipal buildings, despite opposition from local Serbs.
Since then, Serbs have continued to protest in front of municipal buildings in Leposavić, Zvečan, and Zubin Potok. Protesters demand that the new mayors do not work from municipal buildings and that the police withdraw from the north.
The international community has called for an immediate de-escalation of the situation and has requested fresh elections to be held in the four municipalities in the north.
These demands were reiterated by the EU on June 22 after separate meetings held by the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell with Kosovo’s Prime Minister Albin Kurti, and the President of Serbia Aleksandar Vučić.
Kurti stated that he is willing to fulfill these demands through the rule of law, while Vučić said that no agreement was reached in these meetings.
