Serbian protesters, mostly truck drivers, blocked two key border posts between Kosovo and Serbia this Tuesday, preventing the passage of other vehicles, Kosovo authorities said on Tuesday.
“Due to protests on Serbian territory at the Jarinje and Merdare border crossings, it is not possible for trucks and buses to pass through Kosovo,” Kosovan Foreign Minister Donika Gervalla said in a statement published on the website of Khoa newspaper. . .
Tuesday’s protests exacerbate tensions between Pristina and Belgrade following the arrest by Serbian police of “three Kosovo (police) officers” accused of planning “a terrorist attack”.
Belgrade indicates that the arrests took place on Serbian territory, but Pristina claims Kosovo police were kidnapped on Kosovo territory, 300 meters from the border with Serbia.
Pristina is demanding the release of the three police officers and has tightened border controls with Serbia, a country that does not recognize Kosovo’s independence in 2008.
Since June 14, Kosovo border posts have practically blocked the passage of heavy vehicles with Serbian registration plates that intend to enter Kosovo.
In response, Serbian truck drivers have been blocking the passage of heavy vehicles and buses with Kosovo license plates in Jarinje and Merdare since Sunday evening.
The situation was confirmed to journalists in Pristina by the Kosovo Border Control Centre.
In an attempt to de-escalate the situation, the European Union’s representative for foreign affairs and security policy, Josep Borrell, proposed a state of emergency to Serbia’s head of state, Aleksandar Vucic, and Kosovo’s prime minister, Albin Kurti. this week in Brussels.
Although the proposal has already been sent, the date of the final meeting has not yet been announced.
Source: DN
