Tensions with Serbia, violence against women coincided in 2022

T ENSIONET KOSOVA ERB

Last month in 2022, he found Kosovo on roads blocked for about three weeks ago in the Serb majority-inhabited north. Tensions in the area that re-opened in the autumn began in early summer, when the Kosovo government imposed reciprocity measures with Serbia, limiting by the end of September the use of car plates issued by Serbia and by early August the reciprocity measure for the use of personal documents of Serbian citizens entering Kosovo.

On July 31st, groups of Serbian citizens in northern Kosovo blocked roads leading to border crossings with Serbia.

Belgrade accused Pristina of actions against Serbian citizens. Serbia's President Aleksandar Vucic said the “situte for the Serb people in Kosovo is very complicated”, while urging Albanians, the international community and Kosovo Serbs to maintain peace. “If they don't want to maintain peace, I'm telling you Serbia will win”, he said.

In Pristina, Prime Minister Albin Kurti gathered the National Security Council, while dismissing any possibility of destabilising the situation.

We will not take documents from people coming from Serbia to Kosovo. We will add a letter-of-ex1>, Prime Minister Kurti said during a conference with journalists in Pristina.

In 2011, Kosovo and Serbia had agreed to an agreement on free movement, under which the documents of both sides are replaced with a provisional issue. Belgrade insists the agreement has nothing to do with Serbs in northern Kosovo.

The midnight between July 31st and August 1st, the Kosovo government decided to postpone the implementation of decisions for a month at the request of US Ambassador to Pristina Jeff Hovenier.

“We hope to work with our partners in the European Union to reduce tensions. We're not asking for the annulment of the decision to be clear, but delaying”, Ambassador Havenier said.

Encouraged by the postponement, European Union officials organised a meeting between Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic on August 18th, but without any results.

“Unfortunately we haven't reached agreement today, no, I'm sorry”, said EU Foreign Policy chief Josep Borrell.

Nine days later, Mr Borrell said Serbia and Kosovo reached an agreement on the free movement of citizens of both countries.

Western diplomats voiced hope that the parties would be involved in seeking a solution to the use of car plates as September 1st approached when the two-month deadline for converting was due.

Before the deadline ended, US envoy for the Western Balkans Gabriel Escobar said that, together with European diplomats, he has asked Kosovo to extend the deadline for converting the plates for ten months.

I would hope that they would respond positively to the request not only of the United States, but also of the rest of Quinn, European Union and Special Representative Miroslav Lajcak”, said Mr. Escobar.

On October 28th, the Kosovo government decided to modify the deadline for converting plates.

For three weeks, the measure of reproof begins from November 1st to November 21st. Then for two months, by January 21st, it will be the penalty measure and then from January 21st, we will have test plates for another two months, after which the date on April 21st cannot be because other plates can be allowed in the Republic of Kosovo”, Prime Minister Kurti said.

Serbian police officers in Kosovo's north refused to implement the Targat decision, and on November 2nd the Kosovo Police Director in that area Nenad Djuric was suspended. Two days later, Serbian employees in Kosovo institutions and their political representatives abandoned jobs.

The United States, like the European Union, described developments in the north as disturbing, while US State Department senior Adviser Derek Chollet posted on November 10th on Twitter that he has talked with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, who he said split “disappointment with Kosovo's decision not to extend the deadline for targat”.

American envoy for the Western Balkans Gabriel Escobar in an interview with the Voice of America considered the situation in northern Kosovo very dangerous.

“From the Kosovo side to conduct a public announcement campaign and prepare the affected community to be willing to change car plates. We are also calling on them to begin putting the issue of the Association of Serb majority municipalities in order day. This is a request... From the Serbian side, we think that any protest should be peaceful and the departure of Serbs from institutions is not useful. I call on the parties to be ready to meet these issues immediately”, said Mr. Escobar.

American statements sparked concerns in Kosovo, where opposition political party leaders urged Kosovo's prime minister to co-ordinate actions with Western allies at a meeting.

“I cannot say that I came out with any great confidence that the government knows in what direction it is going to go and what actions it should take to keep the situation under control”, Democratic Party Chairman Memli Krasniqi said.

“Kosovo should not fall prey to the country's destabilising traps from factors stemming from Belgrade and in much deeper co-ordination than that, but must stick to its allies to ensure peace and stability on its territory”, said Lumir Abdixhiku, chairman of the Democratic League of Kosovo.

These concerns were outlined along with parliamentary debates. Alliance for the Future of Kosovo Chairman Ramush Haradinaj called for delaying the deadline for implementing the decision on license plates on US demand, while.

The second action we have to take together is dialogue with Kosovo Serbs, not just this speaker, but an intensive dialogue to turn them into institutions and convert their trust to Kosovo institutions”, said Mr Haradinaj.

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti and Serbia's President Aleksandar Vucic met on 21 November in Brussels with the European Union's mediation, but the meeting did not bring agreement.

The two hold full responsibility for the failure of negotiations today and any escalation and violence that could occur on the ground. We submitted a proposal that President Aleksandar Vucic accepted, while Prime Minister Albin Kurti not”, said Mr. Borrell.

Again, American diplomacy intervened, which asked the government for a 48-hour term in Pristina to provide an opportunity for discussions on the issue. Prime Minister Kurti agreed and two days later the parties agreed that Serbia should stop issuing plates with the appointments of Kosovo cities and that Kosovo cease further actions regarding the reregistering of cars.

But the situation in the north remained tense. Groups of Serbian citizens prevented the opening of the Central Election Commission offices, while police reported incidents as officials tried to begin election preparations for the mayors of the four northern municipalities scheduled for December 18th.

The elections were postponed for April 2023, but that did not reduce tensions. The arrest of a former police member from the Serb community's ranks for attacking authorities caused roads to be blocked again.

A member of Kosovo police was injured in an armed attack in the north, while incidents were also reported against members of the European Union's mission police for rule of law.

On December 16th, Serbia handed over NATO-led peacekeeping forces in Kosovo, a letter requiring the return of a number of members of its Kosovo security forces, despite Western warnings that it is unlikely to be accepted and only adds to tensions in the area.

Belgrade raised the degree of military readiness of its security forces, while NATO forces said they could not get closer than a thousand metres from the Kosovo border without KFOR's consent.

The United States and the European Union said they have received guarantees from Kosovo that those establishing blockades will not be followed. On December 28th, a court in Pristina released an arrested police officer from custody on December 10th, and after that, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said Serbs would remove the blockades.

Their dismissal, which was fulfilled on December 29th, eased tensions for at least one time.

PROPOZING “FRANKO-GERMAN” P SERVANT KOSOVE ERB

Early in September, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron hired their advisers to support Kosovo talks Serbia. The two advisers visited Pristina and Belgrade, and after that visit, they were told that there is an initiative of these two countries for an agreement between the two sides that did not include mutual recognition, but envision that the parties do not interfere with integration processes.

Serbia's president, Aleksandar Vucic, said the proposal is an issue to talk about and think about, since, as “put it, you cannot throw the proposal out of the window coming from two of the most powerful” countries, but is not sure that it can be acceptable.

The key to the document is for Serbia to allow Kosovo membership in all international institutions and organisations, including the United Nations. Serbia, though not accurate, would speed up membership in the European Union and offer significant economic benefits”, he said.

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti said the proposal is a good basis for discussion.

The European Union's proposal with the support of France, Germany and the United States, which have also been attached to supporting this proposal, is not taken or granted. I've considered it a good basis to discuss it but it's not taken or permission. I don't like everything there, there's a lot that needs to be discussed”, he said.

The proposal that received US support, among other things, included the parties' pledge to fulfil all agreements reached in the negotiations mediated by the European Union. In this context Kosovo was found under pressure for implementing the agreement to establish the Association of Serb majority municipalities, which is also the most controversial part of the talks between the parties. Belgrade insists on establishing it under the 2013 and 2015 agreement, while Pristina stresses that the Constitutional Court has found a host of violations in it.

“As for the Association of Serb majority municipalities I do not have a new answer but, of course, in chapter 4 of the overall framework of the agreement that has been presented by August 18th in Brussels, I have also said there will be consideration for all the agreements reached in Brussels and their implementation, but it cannot be this first chapter and it cannot be from only one of the most important, the most important and the most priorital”, Prime Minister Kurti said.

US envoy Gabriel Escobar said there are numerous European models, under which minorities can defend their cultural heritage and native language, but without violating the constitutional framework of the country they live in.

The “Association should not intervene, should not conflict with the Constitution of Kosovo, should not create problems in Kosovo's functionality and should not be a state within a” state, said Mr. Escobar.

Political representatives in Kosovo say the association should be part of the final agreement with Serbia.

COMM SOVA AND AGRESION RUSSIA IN UKRAINE

Tensions year-on-year sparked a stronger diplomatic response and calls for reaching an agreement between Kosovo and Serbia on normalising relations between them, especially in light of developments in the world following Russian aggression in Ukraine. But the approach of both countries is different.

Serbia is the only country in the region that has not imposed sanctions on Moscow despite the EU's request to harmonise its policies with those of the bloc. Kosovo has joined sanctions against Russia by solidising with Ukrainians and its Western allies.

Serbia signed an agreement with Russia on “bilateral consultations on foreign policy issues in September, boosting Western diplomacy's response, while the Serbian opposition said it was a sign that Serbian President Vucic, a former ultranationalist, has abandoned the Balkan country's orientation towards the EU and is bringing it closer to Moscow.

The Russian aggression felt in Kosovo as did other countries of the world on the economic level. Reports of international institutions said the pressure created by global inflation has halted the path of Kosovo's rapid economic recovery.

Institutions like the World Bank reduced Kosovo's economic growth forecasts to 3.2 percent, a much lower figure than in 2021 when Kosovo marked economic growth of over 10 percent.

J POSACHME YCTATHA HAPPINESS CRIME

On December 16th, Kosovo's Special Court for War Crimes in The Hague found him guilty and sentenced Sali Mustaf, a former commander of the Kosovo Liberation Army, to 26 years' freedom.

Salih Mustafa, was convicted on charges of murder and torture at a detention centre in Kosovo, where prosecutors say prisoners -- mostly Kosovo Albanians who were political opponents of the KLA -- were being beaten and tortured every day.

It was the first decision by the Specialised Chambers, known as the Special Chambers, to be founded in 2015 by the Kosovo Parliament and acting on the basis of Kosovo's laws, but international personnel.

Currently, there are former Kosovo Liberation Army leaders Hashim Thaci, Kadri Veselin, Jakup Krasniqi and Rexhep Selimi, who were arrested in November 2020.

The establishment of the special court, as well as the raising of the charges, has been repeatedly accompanied by reactions and protests in Kosovo, where it is claimed that this way is dealing with atrocities committed by Serb forces during the 1998 war of 1999, which ended with NATO intervention.

The idea for establishing the tribunal followed claims included in the 2011 report drafted by Council of Europe envoy Dick Martty, who raised doubts about the involvement of former rebels in the murder of Serb civilians and Albanian political opponents.

In April, former EC envoy Dick Marty told the media in Switzerland that he was threatened by <x0 radical elements of Serbian intelligence services”. In an interview with Switzerland's public television, Mr. Martytha said he was put under armed protection at his house, by the end of 2020 because of threats he said appeared to come from certain circles of Serbian intelligence services that have asked professional underground killers to liquidate and simply blame people from Kosovo for this.

Belgrade denied such claims.

COMM SOVA AND INTEGRATIONS EURO-ATLANTIC

On 15 December, Kosovo submitted the official application for membership in the European Union, a step in a very long process towards possible integration, which also depends on the process of normalising relations with Serbia.

Delivering the application to Prague, Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti said it is aimed at opening a new chapter for the state.

Kosovo continues to remain the last country in the region in integration processes.

One of the key conditions for its integration is reaching a normalisation agreement with Serbia. Normalisation is also a condition for Serbia's integration, which opened in 2014 negotiations on membership.

One of the major obstacles to integration processes is Kosovo's non-recognition by five EU member states: Spain, Greece, Romania, Slovakia and Cyprus.

The European Union launched some of the essential steps for visa liberalisation for Kosovo citizens by the end of 2023 and the most remote in January 2024.

Shortly after Russian aggression in Ukraine, the Kosovo government founded the inter-initiative working group, aimed at accelerating NATO membership, a process depending on the fact that four of NATO member states still do not recognise Kosovo's independence.

The Russian aggression in Ukraine has raised concerns about impacts in the Western Balkans since the beginning. US Assistant Secretary of State Karen Donfried, during a visit to the Western Balkan region in the spring, reiterated the United States' commitment to Kosovo's security and stability.

“E knows that many in Kosovo are concerned about Kosovo's security at this uncertain time. I want to assure you that the commitment of the United States and that of the allies remains iron. KFOR, greatest mission of NATO is the most visible station of our continued commitment to the security and sustainability of Kosovo”, she said.

DHU GRAVE LATER

As Kosovo opened the 16-day campaign against violence against women by the motto “as one more”, two women were killed in Pristina by their husbands. On November 25th, a man was arrested for killing his wife ax in the circumstances and for still unexplained motives.

Five days later on November 30th, a 35-year-old woman was killed in Pristina's hospital courtyard by her former husband.

The murders sparked large-scale reactions.

According to data by Kosovo police, three women were killed by their husbands in 2022, along which there was increased domestic violence. Between January and October, two thousand and 273 cases of violence against women have been recorded.

“Fighting domestic violence requires much more than effective prosecution, requires cultural changes and access to society, by police at the site of the event, the prosecutor who conducts investigations, the prosecutor who raises cases, the judges who listen to these cases and implement the law, the lawyers of the victims who represent them at every step of the process, then those who offer support to such as shelters and the media reporting cases to”, the US ambassador to Pristina, Jeff Hovenier, said.

In August, an 11 - year - old girl was raped in a capital park, stirring up numerous reactions and protests for several days.

A report by the European Union's mission for rule of law revealed that the number of rape cases reported to Kosovo police has increased.

I would like to believe that one of the reasons for this trend's growth is the awareness of women and their trust in institutions to report these cases, but the data does not enable us to conclude this”, Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani said.

The report shows that most rape victims are minor, while disturbing remains the lower punishment of rapists. / VOA