German government spokesman: Intriguing when Vuciq of “

After the recent escalation of violence in northern Kosovo, the German government has called on Serbian President Aleksandar Vuciq to act. He should be aware of his responsibility for peace in the region and do everything to escalate, a German Foreign Ministry spokesman said in Berlin on Friday.

But if the Serbian government now organises a day of mourning for those killed, it will not contribute to escalation, he said. Serbia should “make unequivocally calling for the drop of violence”, the spokesman urged.

It is also necessary to clarify the origin of numerous weapons found. It is frustrating to see how Serbian President “estimates the culprits are victims”.

In northern Kosovo, according to government information, 30 armed and masked people opened fire on Kosovo police Sunday in a village not far from the border with Serbia. They later occupied a Serbian Orthodox monastery. A police officer and three attackers were killed during the shootout, according to police.

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti spoke of a terrorist attack carried out by criminals encouraged by Serbia. Serbia and Vucic have dismissed the accusations. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack or explained the motives of the armed authors.

NATO Increases Presence in Kosovo

Facing recent tensions in Kosovo, NATO will increase its presence in the Western Balkan country. The transatlantic Alliance in Brussels said on Friday that additional forces were authorised to respond to the current situation. The alliance initially did not say how many other soldiers would be deployed or which countries would provide them. The largest escalation of violence in several months has occurred in northern Kosovo last weekend.

According to data from the German press agency, the additional KFOR troops may be British. The Defence Ministry in London announced just a few months ago that the United Kingdom wants to provide “with a crucial contribution” to KFOR, at least until 2026.

28 states, eight of which are not NATO members, are involved in the UN KFOR operation. Currently about 3400 KFOR soldiers have been deployed in Kosovo, including about 80 of Bundeswehr. Some 50,000 Serbs live in northern Kosovo.

 

 

The alliance had already decided in May to increase its presence in Kosovo with 700 soldiers. This was done in response to Serb mob attacks against KFOR soldiers in northern Kosovo. At the time, 30 Italian and Hungarian soldiers and over 50 Serbs were injured. /DW