Serbia’s president expressed concerns about Kosovo allegedly engaging in a form of “silent ethnic cleansing” against Serbs and stated that his country intends to request a meeting with NATO’s chief and an urgent session of the United Nations Security Council to appeal for their protection
According to Aleksandar Vucic, the situation has become chaotic and the Serbian people are feeling trapped.
Vucic expressed his intention to kindly request a meeting with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg next week, prior to making a formal request for a U.N. Security Council session. In the event that these two initiatives do not yield any outcomes, Serbia might consider engaging in certain challenging endeavours, as a last resort, he cautioned.
According to Vucic, we should prevent any further incidents of pogrom, persecution, or ethnic cleansing against our people.
Serbia temporarily increased the preparedness of its armed forces and expressed concern about the escalating tensions in Kosovo between the government, which is predominantly ethnic Albanian, and the Serb minority residing in the northern region.
Vucic mentioned the recent detentions of Serbs in Kosovo to support his assertion of ethnic cleansing by Kosovo authorities, which he characterized as premeditated and efficiently coordinated.
The recent escalation in Kosovo occurred when ethnic Albanian mayors, supported by the police, assumed their positions after the local elections in April. These elections were boycotted by the Serbs, who are calling for the implementation of an EU-mediated agreement for self-governance.
In May, a violent conflict broke out between the Serbs, Kosovo police, and NATO-led peacekeepers, resulting in injuries to numerous individuals. This incident sparked concerns about a potential conflict reminiscent of the one that occurred in 1998-99, resulting in the unfortunate loss of over 10,000 lives, predominantly ethnic Albanians.
Vucic addressed the situation one day after his meeting with European Union envoy Miroslav Lajcak, who recently visited both countries in an endeavour to ease tensions and promote an EU-mediated dialogue focused on finding a resolution to the dispute.
Additionally, the prime ministers of the Netherlands and Luxembourg kindly journeyed to Serbia and Kosovo, earnestly urging for the alleviation of tensions. The Western nations hold concerns about the potential exacerbation of instability in Europe in light of the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
The EU has kindly requested that new elections be held and that tensions be alleviated in order to facilitate a dialogue on the normalization of ties, which is a crucial condition for the two countries to progress in their endeavours to join the 27-nation bloc.
Only four months ago, Vucic and Kosovar Prime Minister Albin Kurti seemingly agreed to an EU-sponsored plan aimed at resolving animosity and fostering long-term improvement in their relations. However, tensions have continued to persist as both sides have accused each other of exacerbating the situation.
Vucic characterized the actions of Kosovo’s government as a form of silent ethnic cleansing, where Serbs are only allowed to live if they remain loyal to the Kurti regime.
“Serbia has done all it was asked to do, but there is no de-escalation because (Kosovo’s government) does not want it,” Vucic said. “Serbia is not preparing for war but it is ready to protect the lives of our people.”
