Bloomberg: Remains of war in divided Kosovo, warning for Europe

“Hangover of the war in divided Kosovo is a warning to Europe”, this is the title with which Bloomberg begins the article about recent tensions between the two countries, which were spread even more after the Kosovo Government's decision on reciprocity in license plates and documents with the Serbian state.

The “takes only a minute to cross the bridge that connects both sides of the Iber River in the town of Mitrovica, yet this is a journey that returns years later.

Renewed after NATO's intervention to end the ethnic conflict in Kosovo, the hope was for the bridge to turn into a symbol of unity in the divided country. More than two decades later, it remains the border between worlds that have again crashed in the last few weeks”, Bloomberg begins writing, reports Online Reporter.net.

Citizens interviewed by the media say that in 23 years, very little has been done to unite both communities.

Bloomberg, among other things, writes that leaders in Kosovo and Serbia are under added pressure from Washington and Brussels to fulfil their promises of reconciliation after reconfirming their political power.

“Kurti won 50% of the votes in the last elections, while Vuciqi's party received nearly 60% of the votes in Serbia.

But their mandates have also enabled them to increase rhetoric against each other and silence the opposition, making living together on the ground more difficult, Bloomberg writes.

Recent tensions according to Bloomberg analysis considering what they started may seem insignificant to a foreigner, but given the war in Ukraine, according to the medium, could be “ominous warning for Europe”

“The latest blast came from Kosovo's initiative to standardise ID cards and car license plates, something that may seem relatively insignificant to someone foreign, given Russia's brutal fight in Ukraine. But on a continent that is being pursued by battles between east and west, the small nation's failure of 1.8 million to move forward carries a ominous warning for Europe”, Bloomberg writes.

“Mitrovica shows how the impasse between the Serbian and Kosovo leadership has prevented the two countries from agreeing to a final post-war agreement, a precondition for any chance for EU membership that both sides want, as Ukraine wants.

The footbridge, preserved throughout hours by Italian carabinieri, is open to all citizens. People's course, however, is too small to awaken even wandering dogs lying in the sun. Most of the young men born after the war who have been interviewed throughout Kosovo over the past week have never been on the other side of their national division. Those who did it said that they went secretly”, the following article.

Citizens on both sides say what concerns them is the legacy of conflict for the next generation in a country with the newest population in Europe.

But what bothered citizens interviewed last month on both sides of the ethnic division in Kosovo was the legacy of conflict for the next generation in a country with the youngest population in Europe. They cited the complete lack of interaction among young people who have grown apart from language, territory, and an interpretation of history conveyed by their elderly.

The older people are telling stories of the conflict, and this creates hatred,” said one of them.