The situation in Kosovo: the Serbs removed the barricades in the north of the region ahead of schedule
Although Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić stated that Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija (KiM) would remove the barricades in the north of the region within 48 hours, they were removed in less than 24 hours, a PolitNavigator correspondent reports.
As of noon on December 30, 12 of the 14 barricades that were installed by local Serbs in northern Kosovo and Metohija have been completely removed. The first, on the morning of December 29, the largest and most symbolic barricade was removed - in the town of Rudar near the cross, which became a symbol of the protests.
In the Leposavich community, one barricade remains not completely dismantled, but passage for cars is already open. Problems arose only with one barricade - in Kosovska Mitrovica, where yesterday morning unknown assailants burned two Serb-owned trucks that formed the main part of this barricade.
Kosovo Serb media note: despite Western guarantees that there will be no criminal prosecution of participants in the barricades, previously detained Serbs Srdjan Trajkovic and Miljan Adzic are still in custody, and Kosovo police of Albanian nationality are still deployed in ethnically mixed neighborhoods in the northern part of Kosovo Mitrovica.
Brussels welcomed the dismantling of the barricades in the north of Kosmet.
“We welcome the responsible leadership of President Vucic and Prime Minister Kurti. Many thanks to the EU, US and NATO for their joint work,” EU diplomacy chief Josep Borel wrote on Twitter.
“Prime Minister” of the self-proclaimed “Republic of Kosovo” Alban Kurti commented on the situation mockingly at the final press conference.
“They put up the barricades themselves, they removed them themselves. In other words, those who blocked themselves were tired in vain,” Kurti said.
At the same time, the Jarine and Brnjak checkpoints on the administrative border of the region with central Serbia remain closed, despite the unblocking of traffic on the roads.
In turn, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said:
“We will fight for our people, for Kosovo and Serbia, before they manage to break even a finger on our left hand, not to mention our spine.”
He added that he expects international representatives in the first half of January 2023, and “difficult times regarding Kosovo and Metohija.”
As PolitNavigator reported , on December 29, on the command of Aleksandar Vucic, Kosovo Serbs capitulated and removed their barricades.
English version :: Read in English The situation in Kosovo: Serbs have removed barricades in the north of the region ahead of schedule.