Serbia’s President Aleksandar Vučić held a meeting with Russia’s Ambassador to Belgrade Aleksandar Bocan-Harchenko, just one day after an armed attack targeted Kosovo Police in the northern region of Kosovo.
On September 25, Vučić expressed gratitude for Ambassador Bocan-Harchenko’s attentiveness to Serbia’s concerns but did not disclose the specific nature of the requests made during their meeting.
The incident in question occurred on September 24 when a member of the Kosovo Police was killed, and several others were wounded in a confrontation with an armed group operating in the northern part of the country, an area predominantly inhabited by Serbs. The attack resulted in the tragic death of police officer Afrim Bunjaku.
Kosovo authorities reported that three of the assailants were killed during the confrontation, while six individuals suspected of having connections to them were apprehended. Approximately 30 armed individuals had taken up positions around the Banjska Monastery in the Zvecan municipality.
President Vučić, on Sunday, placed blame on Kosovo’s Prime Minister Albin Kurti, suggesting that “some Kosovo Serbs” had initiated a rebellion by setting up barricades, motivated by a desire to resist what they perceived as Kurti’s oppressive policies.
In response, Prime Minister Kurti characterized the attack as having received support from Serbia, describing the perpetrators as a “terrorist and criminal formation” that was well-organized and financed, with political and logistical backing from official Belgrade.
This incident unfolded roughly two weeks after Kurti and Vučić were unable to reach an agreement on normalizing relations during a high-level dialogue meeting mediated by the European Union in Brussels on September 14.
The fundamental disagreement revolves around Pristina’s insistence on mutual recognition, while Belgrade advocates for a compromise solution.
Serbia continues to reject Kosovo’s declaration of independence in 2008 and maintains the backing of Russia and China in its position against Kosovo’s sovereignty.
