8 hours agoThe closure of four Serbian social work centres in the north, the US reacts: negative consequences in our bilateral relations
Periskopi(a year ago)
(a year ago)Kosovo police have closed the facilities of the Centre for Social Work in Northern Mitrovica é, which functioned within the Serbian parallel system, due to suspicion that illegal “actions concerning the election process were carried out there. This has sparked numerous reactions, including from the [...] Embassy.
This has sparked numerous reactions, including from the U.S. Embassy.
The US diplomatic representation in Pristina has expressed its concern over this decision, calling it an uncoordinated step, which may have undesirable consequences for Kosovo.
In a statement issued on the X social platform, the embassy stresses that such actions could negatively affect not only thousands of Kosovo citizens but also in the country's European future and bilateral relations with international partners.
The US “Embassy is concerned by unexpected and uncoordinated closures of Serbia's welfare offices in Kosovo. Such actions negatively affect the lives of thousands of citizens and risk creating serious consequences for Kosovo's European future, as well as for our bilateral relations,” is said in the embassy's response.
Kosovo police have said through a statement that they have requested permission from the Constitutional Prosecutor in Mitrovica to check the facilities of the Centres for Social Work after four employees of this Centre in Zubin Potok were arrested on February 8th for “violation of the will of voters”.
According to the communiqué, these “and illegal institution officials allegedly called citizens and threatened them, or told them how to vote, conditioning them with the payment of social aid.
Kosovo authorities have closed down most of the institutions operating within the Serbian system over the past year, with the argument that their work is illegal, but official Belgrade has continued to pay them.
