Starovic: Resumption of Serbian forces' readiness, following withdrawal of Kosovo Police

Serbia's Defence Ministry State Secretary Nemanja Starovic has stated that attracting Kosovo Police Special Forces would be a key step, which would be followed by reassessing the security situation from Serbia.

“After that, it could follow the second step, which US Secretary of State Antony Blinken” mentioned, Starovic told Radio Free Europe (REL) on 2 June.

Due to tensions in northern Kosovo, authorities in Serbia, on May 26th, announced the deployment of Serbia's Army to “the highest degree of combat readiness”, during which they deployed units and combat equipment on the border with Kosovo.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on 31 May appealed for the Kosovo government to withdraw police forces from the north, while Serbia's government lowers military combat readiness.

Starovic said the decision to establish Serbia's Army combat readiness is preventive.

He estimated that the security situation in northern Kosovo is still tense, though, as he said, until some extent has stabilised.

“The main movement that would have to happen, without which there is essentially no sustainable normalisation, is the withdrawal of Kosovo Police Special Units. They don't belong there. Their very presence in the north is a serious factor in instability. They must withdraw”, Starovic said.

The European Union's high representative for foreign policy and security, Josep Borrell, on June 2nd, has called for the announcement of new local elections in municipalities in northern Kosovo, the participation of Serbs in them, and the start of work for the establishment of the Association of Serb majority municipalities.

His request followed a week of tensions in northern Kosovo.

The local population rejects the new Albanian mayors in Serb majority municipalities Zvecan, Leposaviq and Zubin Potok.

Nemanja Starovic also praised that the European Union's proposals for overcoming the current situation in Kosovo are good, but stressed that the most important is the withdrawal of special police from the north, so that, as he praised, tensions may drop.

He has reiterated Belgrade's official stance that the precondition for participation in the elections in northern Kosovo is the formation of the Serb majority municipalities' association.