No trucks carrying goods originating from Serbia have entered the territory of Kosovo since the Kosovo government decided to ban the entry of trucks with Serbian products and license plates into Kosovo two days ago.
“We have had no entries; the security measure to halt the entry is being implemented,” said Adriatik Stavileci, spokesperson for the Kosovo Customs.
On June 14th, the Kosovo government decided to tighten border controls with Serbia.
The decision was made following the arrest of three members of the Kosovo Police by Serbian forces.
Kosovo considers the arrest of the three police officers as an abduction by the Serbian authorities on its territory. According to the Kosovo Police, the police officers were arrested in the Tresave/Bare area located in the municipality of Leposavić, within the territory of Kosovo.
On June 15th, dozens of trucks with Serbian and Kosovan license plates were seen parked on the Serbian side of the border in Merdare, as they were not allowed to enter Kosovo.
Kosovo’s Prime Minister Albin Kurti stated Thursday that security institutions had tightened border controls with Serbia in response to the situation created by the arrest of three members of the Kosovo Police by Serbian forces.
The Prime Minister denied that there was a ban on the entry of goods from Serbia, emphasizing that the measures are “not economic or trade-related but security measures”.
Serbia is one of the top five exporting countries to Kosovo.
Prior to the government’s decision, this country exported goods worth one million euros within a day.
During the past year alone, goods worth 372 million euros were imported into the domestic market, while Kosovo sold products worth around 62 million euros in Serbia.
