Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has put the army on alert on the border with Kosovo. Vucic has done this because, as he says, “to protect the Serbs in Kosovo and to preserve Serbia”, writes the Associated Press news agency. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has provoked Kosovo with threats to send Serbian soldiers into Kosovo. Photo: MARTON MONUS / Reuters The president accuses the authorities in Kosovo of “planning unrest to kill Serbs in Kosovo”, writes The Independent. The authorities in Pristina accuse the Serbian president of whipping up the mood and provoking events that could justify an attack, writes Ap further. Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti accuses Vucic of trying to destabilize the country. 50,000 Serbs live in the north of Kosovo. They have set up roadblocks to prevent the police in Kosovo from reaching their area. Serbs in the north of Kosovo have set up several roadblocks to prevent the police and NATO soldiers from arriving. The picture was taken on 27 December. Photo: Bojan Slavkovic / AP NATO investigates shooting At the same time, the NATO-led force KFOR has started an investigation into a shooting incident that occurred in the town of Zubin Potok on Monday. The shooting took place very close to a patrol from the NATO force KFOR, writes Reuters. It is unclear whether the force from Nato was the target of the shooting. – We are working to get all the facts on the table, reports KFOR in a statement reproduced in the Independent. Nato, which has 4,000 soldiers in Kosovo, urges both parties to calm down and avoid provocations. KFOR is investigating several shooting incidents recently. Photo: LAURA HASANI / Reuters – It is important that the parties avoid rhetoric or action that could lead to increased tension and an escalation of the situation, says KFOR in a statement. Stun grenades against EU police Two weeks ago, unknown persons in the same area shot at the local police and threw stun grenades at police deployed by the EU. The EU police are in the region as part of the EU delegation EULEX. In recent weeks, hundreds of angry Serbs have gathered at roadblocks they set up on the roads to two border crossings between Kosovo and Serbia. EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell condemned the attacks and called on Kosovo Serbs to remove the roadblocks immediately. They haven’t done that. Nato drove Serbian forces out The situation in the former Serbian province of Kosovo has been tense since Nato in 1999 drove Serbian forces out. Kosovo has since declared independence, which is not recognized by Serbia. Western attempts to reach an agreement between Serbia and Kosovo have not been successful, writes NTB. There are many indications that the Serbian authorities continue to incite the Serbian minority population in Kosovo to oppose the authorities in Pristina. Things are tense in Kosovo. The picture shows special forces and soldiers from Nato at work. Photo: Visar Kryeziu / AP Recently, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said that Vucic’s many moves are escalating tensions in the area. – Proposing to send Serbian forces to Kosovo is completely unacceptable. So are the latest attacks on EULEX, says Baerbock. Russia behind the scenes? Serbia has a close relationship with Russia. It is unclear how much of the unrest between Serbia and Kosovo is staged from Moscow. But the unrest over possible Russian interference in the countries of the Balkans is rising. At a meeting in Tirana in Albania on 6 December, the EU’s top leaders and leaders from the countries in the Balkans participated. The main topic was the region’s relationship with Russia. The EU’s foreign affairs chief, Josep Borrell, attended the meeting in Tirana on 6 December, which was about Russia’s policy in the Balkans. Photo: KENZO TRIBOUILLARD / AFP In Brussels, there are fears that the Russian authorities, in the shadow of the war in Ukraine, are trying to incite Serbia and other countries in the region. The backdrop for the meeting is the EU’s fear that Russia, in the shadow of the war in Ukraine, will gain more and more influence over several countries in the Balkans. – Some countries in the region have been labeled as unfriendly states by Russia and those countries are exposed to consequences, EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell told the press in Tirana. – Several of the countries here see the EU as a safe place, a place where you can achieve progress, where you are respected. It is clear that something is bothering Russia and therefore the Russians are trying to destabilize, said Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo after the meeting on 6 December. Kosovo wants membership in the EU.
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