2 hours agoIs unrest being targeted in Kosovo, American expert Edward Joseph speaks
Periskopi(8 years ago)
(8 years ago)The expert on Balkan issues in Washington, Edward Joseph, who has personally recognised Ivanovic, said the killing of Kosovo Serb politician could bring a general strain of the situation in Kosovo, even though circumstances are still unclear. In an interview with the Voice of America, Joseph said that character killings [...]
The expert on Balkan issues in Washington, Edward Joseph, who has personally recognised Ivanovic, said the killing of Kosovo Serb politician could bring a general strain of the situation in Kosovo, even though circumstances are still unclear.
In an interview for Voice of America, Joseph said ethnic-type killings tend to bring serious political consequences and cause unrest in this part of Kosovo.
<x0).IDents of this kind can increase interethnic tensions in this area, as has happened in 2004 and 2012, when the murder or wound of a person from another ethnic group caused political unrest”.
He said the consequences would also depend on the ethnic affiliation of the perpetrators.
“If the author of the assassination is Albanian, that could then trigger major reactions from Serbs and cause unrest in northern Mitrovica. Serbia's President Aleksandar Vucic has already said the attack on Oliver Ivanocic is an attack on all of Serbia, and the Serbian delegation in talks with Kosovo in Brussels left the talks. So if investigations come to the conclusion that the murder was done by Albanians, it would anger Serbs and cause interethnic tensions”.
Joseph added that if investigations come to the conclusion that the murder was not done by Albanians but was simply a war among Serbs, then it should not foster interethnic tensions.
“Therefore, it is good that Kosovo President Hashim Thaci has condemned the murder and has pledged that its authors will be found”, said American Balkan Affairs expert Edward Joseph.
