Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani called on Serbia today, Thursday, to halt its activities aimed at destabilizing Kosovo in order to end the ongoing violence in the northern part of the country.
Osmani told Reuters, on the sidelines of a European summit in Moldova, that "the difficulties come from Serbia, a country that still needs to reconcile with its past." She noted that "the situation is tense but we must ensure the restoration of the rule of law in Kosovo, recognizing that the threat comes from Serbia's denial of Kosovo's existence as a sovereign state."
Osmani emphasized that Serbia deliberately supports "illegal entities" in Kosovo to destabilize the country from within.
In response, Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić called on the authorities in Kosovo to withdraw what he referred to as "alleged mayors" from northern Kosovo to defuse the crisis that has led to violence. In remarks upon his arrival at the European Political Community summit in Moldova, Vučić said such a step would be "the most effective" in resolving the crisis.
In the same context, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg stated today that the alliance is "ready to deploy more troops in Kosovo to quell the violence in the ethnically divided northern part of the country." He told reporters on the sidelines of a NATO Foreign Ministers' meeting in Oslo: "The alliance will remain cautious, we will be there to ensure safe conditions and also to calm and reduce tensions." Stoltenberg described violence against NATO forces as "absolutely unacceptable," stating, "Allies are preparing more troops in case additional reinforcements are needed."
