Serbia's Post says postal shipments banned for northern Kosovo

Serbia's Post has announced that Kosovo police have stopped at the Jarinje border checkpoint, postal shipments being transported through a regular line van between Raska in Serbia and Gracanica in Kosovo.

Serbia's post office said banned mail shipments included letters. Citizens of Serbia can send various documents, such as judicial ones, via mail.

That claim by Serbian authorities comes a day after nine Serbian Post branches were closed in Kosovo, as authorities said they were operating without license.

Serbia's post called for resolving this situation, the immediate reduction of tensions and for the unhindered functioning of postal transport in northern Kosovo to be possible.

Many citizens and mainly elderly people rely on our services for daily transactions and business exchanges. Today's act of violent ban on sending letters, among other things, makes contact between families difficult, which further boosts the sense of uncertainty in the context of ethnic tensions”, the Post of Serbia said.

A day earlier, Kosovo Police said the action took place after the information received by the Electronic and Post Communications Regulatory Authority (ARKEP) that non-licensed economic operators are operating on Kosovo's territory and that they are not registered with the Agency for Registering Business in Kosovo (ARBK).

Authorities closed three items in northern Mitrovica and Leposaviq, in Zvecan two, and one in Zubin Potok.

The event was criticised by the international community. The European Union said it was a unilateral and uncoordinated action by Kosovo authorities.

The bloc argued such an act violates dialogue on normalising reports between Kosovo and Serbia, mediated by the EU.

Meanwhile, the United States said it is “ally disappointed” for closing Serbia's Post Office branches.

The US Embassy in Pristina said Kosovo's uncoordinated “actions confront Kosovo citizens and KFOR soldiers at great risk, promote unnecessary escalation of regional tensions, and undermine Kosovo's reputation as reliable international partner”.

The closure of the facilities was also condemned by Serbian Post officials, the Serbian List, and Serbia's state institutions. /rel