The US Department of State said it is aware of media reports about the meeting between Marko \u0110uri\u0107, the Serbian ambassador to the United States, and Milan Radoi\u010di\u0107, who is on the US blacklist for involvement in international organized crime.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have a clear position on Mr. Radoi\u010di\u0107. He has taken responsibility for the attack in Banjska through his lawyers. He is a criminal who must be held accountable,\u201d said the spokesperson for the US Department of State, to Radio Free Europe (RFE).<\/p>\n
It is added that Serbia must bring to justice those responsible for the attack \u201cperpetrated by para-military structures in Banjska, Kosovo, which resulted in the tragic death of a Kosovo Police officer\u201d.<\/p>\n
A photo was published on social media X on March 9 showing Marko \u0110uri\u0107, the current ambassador of Serbia to Washington, and Milan Radoi\u010di\u0107, the former deputy leader of the Serb List, who is on the US sanctions list.<\/p>\n
In the photo, \u0110uri\u0107 and Radoi\u010di\u0107 appear together in a restaurant. It is unknown when and where the photo was taken, as well as who the author is.<\/p>\n
It is also unclear whether the photo was taken during \u0110uri\u0107’s tenure as Serbia\u2019s ambassador to the United States.<\/p>\n
After the publication of the photograph, Marko \u0110uri\u0107 said he would not be ashamed of his contacts and neither would he apologize to Kosovo\u2019s Prime Minister Albin Kurti or Kosovo\u2019s Interior Minister Xhelal Sve\u00e7la.<\/p>\n
The former director of the Office for Kosovo in the government of Serbia was appointed ambassador to Washington in October 2020.<\/p>\n
Serbian President Aleksandar Vu\u010di\u0107 briefly referred to the photo of \u0110uri\u0107 and Radoi\u010di\u0107 at a press conference on March 10.<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t ask him [Marko \u0110uri\u0107] when, where, or why. I didn\u2019t even ask if he got up from his table to see Milan Radoi\u010di\u0107, to sit down for a minute or two, or if he came with him,\u201d Vu\u010di\u0107 said.<\/p>\n
The European Union said on March 11 that it is not up to them to comment on every meeting of Serbian officials, but that \u201cwho you meet speaks for you\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cEspecially when it comes to suspicions of criminal acts,\u201d EU spokesperson Peter Stano said on March 11 in response to a journalist\u2019s question during a conference on the dialogue between Serbia and Kosovo in Brussels.<\/p>\n
On September 24, 2023, an armed group of Serbs killed Kosovo police officer Afrim Bunjaku in Banjska, northern Kosovo.<\/p>\n
Three Serbian attackers were also killed in the exchange of fire.<\/p>\n
Kosovo accuses Serbia of the attack, while official Belgrade denies it.<\/p>\n
Radoi\u010di\u0107, who took responsibility for the attack, spent a day in pre-trial detention and was later released on condition that he not leave Serbia and not go to Kosovo.<\/p>\n
Regarding the progress of the proceedings against him in Serbia, the High Public Prosecutor\u2019s Office in Belgrade told Radio Free Europe on February 8 that the testimony of the suspect Radoi\u010di\u0107 is under review.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The US Department of State said it is aware of media reports about the meeting between Marko \u0110uri\u0107, the Serbian ambassador to the United States, and Milan Radoi\u010di\u0107, who is on the US blacklist for involvement in international organized crime. \u201cWe have a clear position on Mr. Radoi\u010di\u0107. He has taken responsibility for the attack […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":55996,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[250],"tags":[766,4419,6344,300,243,151,2203,4449,301,490,1249,787],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n