Kosovo's north-of-a-Kosovo crisis, Serbia between Russia and the West

Kosovo is trying to present the latest crisis as a technical issue related to reciprocity over license plates. While in Belgrade it is said that sending the special Rosu Unit to the north presents provocation and danger for Serbs there.

Belgrade, meanwhile, has sent its own military units, armoured vehicles and helicopters near the crossings. There have even been aircraft flights near the border line. KFOR's presence has also increased in the north. And concern about the situation in the north has expressed European Commission President Ursula von der Layeen, who visited Kosovo and Serbia.

Troop movements are being accompanied by the harsh rhetoric of official Belgrade, and this rhetoric can be interpreted in part as empty boasting by Serbian President Aleksandar Vuciq, who has put the ultimatum on NATO, “if it starts operating in Kosovo and Metohija and if NATO does not react, we will react within 24 hours”.

Vuciq says that at a meeting with Western ambassadors, he has sharply criticised an ambassador of a very powerful Western country”, which he says has asked “a is a normal man and do you want to decide where we place our units on the territory of central Serbia?”.

But there have also been some unusual diplomatic things for which there has been no official explanation. Serbia's president has met Quinn's ambassadors. But he cancelled his meeting with the ambassadors of Russia and China. It was later announced by his office that <x0tation has been postponed for health reasons and that Serbia's president would meet in the morning with ambassadors of Russia and China”.

Strengthening Sovereignty

Even in this case it proved that we have a triple responsibility for the situation, foreign policy analyst Bosko Jaksic says in a statement to Deutsche Welle. He adds that “and here we also have an effort to strengthen Kosovo's sovereignty through the introduction of reciprocity with license plates”.

“Brussels bears responsibility because he has not done more to ensure freedom of movement. Now we are seeing that even the smallest unresolved problem has great potential for conflict, when it remains in the hands of angry politicians in Belgrade and Pristina”, Jaksic says. He “fears that no one will take lessons from this, because the leaders of Serbia and Kosovo are using these things to promote their own courage and to create the image of the rescuer of their people, in particular now Kurti and Vuchchiqi await the elections”.

Game approved

Even in some other situations, even now in Serbia it is speculated, that “this is a game both sides have agreed to”. But Aleksandar Popov, director of the Centre for Regionalism, says of DW, that “this does not reduce the risk from the possibility of escalation of the situation”.

“Whatever Belgrade and Pristina, but also representatives of the international community, think they are keeping things under control, only a small incident is enough to enter serious conflicts”, Popov says.

But Popov adds that <x0 with such crises the international community always resolves any issues, which she believes is important, and at the expense of Serbia. And things are thus approaching the rounding of Kosovo citizenship. At the end of the day, there may be some prepared documents that must be signed”, states the director of the Centre for Regionalism.

How is victory declared?

Serbia has also sent Migg aircraft and armoured vehicles to this area. But Jaksic notes that “Serbia was very careful not to violate the provisions of the Kumanovo Agreement”. Therefore, he sees Serbia's president's statements, “as a rhetorical act aimed at preventing the situation from escalating more”. “Belgrade and Pristina sent the messages they wanted, and now the only technical question is, how both sides will come out victorious and guard their faces. ”

Serbia and its older brother

The current crisis could not pass without the Russian factor mixed up. The Albanian side seized this opportunity to warn from “Russia's Malchij influence in the region”. There have been confusing signals from Belgrade. As a testimony to Serbia's foreign schizophrenic policy is also considered the statement of Dragan Shormaz, a member of the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) and the head of the Serbian delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, which believes that “Russia is destabilizing the entire region”.

Russia can't do anything. China can't do anything, the EU can't do anything, and this is being seen from day to day. Our case with our province of Kosovo and Metohija cannot be solved at the UN Security Council. The only state that can bring order to Pristina and Belgrade, whether anyone likes it or not, is US”, Shormaz said.

That was his comment after the joint presentation of Defence Minister Nebojsa Stefanovic with Russian Ambassador to Serbia Alexander Bocan Kharchenko, as well as Russian envoy for defence Major General Alexander Zinchenko, to a unit of Serbian forces at the “Rudnica” military base.

Serbia's Minister of Defence's “Parade with the Russian ambassador and general seems like a situation when you have a problem with someone, and then you bring your older brother to show that there's someone who protects you”, says Aleksandar Popov. “I think it had a little character as a cartoon and that it hurts more than it helps Serbia”, Popov states.

While Bosko Jaksic thinks that even this proves that in the authorities in Serbia we have a pro-Russian current and another pro-Western one, but he warns that the pro-Russian <x0rsem is in important positions”.

When the Secretary of Defense takes the Russian ambassador with him, I'm convinced he's got extra on him then this is not the same thing as when he speaks something Dragan Sohmaz. I think this move was not balanced enough, it was without any diplomatic tact, it was short-lived. This alone helps Russia present itself as a major advocate of Serbia's interests in Kosovo. This has been recorded in Western capitals, which will soon require Serbia to pay its due bill”, Bosko Jaksic claims. / DW/