Students of the “University of Prishtina in Mitrovica” and their colleagues from Belgrade – members of the Permanent Conference of the University of Serbia, Skonus – supported the protesters in Zvečan on the 11th day of protests against the entry of new mayors into municipal buildings.
The students were wearing T-shirts with cartoons on them, saying “Leave, little ones”, which they believe conveyed the message for the mayors to leave the municipalities.
The song with the same title, from a popular opus of Serbian music, was also heard on the first day of the protest, which ended with incidents between citizens and KFOR, with 30 soldiers being injured.
The students sang the chorus of the song near the place where the KFOR soldiers are stationed, close to the municipality. Patriotic songs like “Blessed be the Serbs” continued to be blasted through loudspeakers.
Earlier today, the Prime Minister of Albania Edi Rama announced he had sent a draft of the Association of Serb-majority Municipalities to the President of France Emmanuel Macron, and the German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
Rama stated that he did not consult with the Prime Minister of Kosovo Albin Kurti regarding this draft. He mentioned that the draft was prepared by independent experts, and he himself also contributed to it.
In his speech, Rama also expressed great concern about the situation in Kosovo and stated that he does not wish for the situation to worsen or for sanctions to be imposed on Kosovo.
“To me, Kosovo’s position is incomprehensible, that Serbia is doing what it has done before. The parties cannot agree on who should write this text, let alone how it should be drafted,” said Rama.
“The internationals are the masters of the house in Kosovo. If they turn their backs, which I hope never happens, but that house [Kosovo] would have its darkest days,” he added, calling for the withdrawal of the Kosovo Police.
With the protests ongoing, the American Chamber of Commerce previously called on the Government of Kosovo to “immediately consider the calls from the US and the EU regarding the escalation of the situation in the northern part of the country”, in order to attract investors and support sustainable economic growth.
“Investors seek stable and secure environments for their businesses, while ongoing tensions can undermine confidence in Kosovo’s economic prospects. Tensions and clashes create an atmosphere of insecurity and unpredictability, which hinders potential investors,” says a statement from the American Chamber of Commerce, published on June 8th.
The American Chamber of Commerce has expressed concern about the events in the north and the “lack of willingness on the part of the Government of Kosovo to coordinate its efforts with international partners, including the US and the EU”.
The statement further adds that the US and the EU have been supportive and have assisted Kosovo in its political and economic development, thus urging the Government of Kosovo to listen to their demands.
