A spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry on Tuesday urged Western powers, in particular the United States and the EU, to “stop encouraging the radicals” in Kosovo, in their “anti-Serb frenzy”, after a new escalation of violence. tensions.
Maria Zakharova held the West “totally” responsible, in an obvious reference to the United States and the European Union (EU), for a series of “experiences” in the Balkans that have only contributed to “compromising the region’s fragile stability.” she said, quoted by the TASS news agency.
We issue an appeal to the United States and the European Union to refuse to encourage radicals in Pristina. [capital do Kosovo] in their anti-Serb frenzy and put an end to provocations against Kosovo Serbs,” Zakharova said.
A Border tensions escalated on Sunday when the Serbs erected barricades on the border, protesting the Kosovar government’s decisions on the implementation of measures to prevent the use of Serb identity documents and registrations on the territory of Kosovo and which were to take effect on Monday.
Under pressure from their allies, in particular the United States, the Pristina authorities decided to postpone the legislative measure for a month.
Zakharova considered that at the origin of the conflict is “the breach by Pristina of its obligationsand the sabotage of the negotiations with Belgrade [a capital da Sérvia]”, despite also directly berating the EU for its “inability” to mediate between Serbia and Kosovo.
The Kremlin on Monday gave Serbia its full support in the long-running dispute with Kosovo, its former southern province that declared independence in 2008, calling Pristina’s demands “unreasonable.”
Moscow’s position was criticized by several Kosovar Albanian leaders, in particular Blerim Vela, chief of staff of the Kosovar prime minister, who on his Twitter account considered it “a confirmation of how Russia sees Serbia: an instrument to destabilize Kosovo”, the region and the European continent.
Since 2011, Serbia and Kosovo have promoted negotiations for the normalization of relations, mediated by the EU, but without tangible results so far.
The approximately 120,000 Orthodox Serbs in Kosovo (figures differ according to origin, assuming they may be as high as 200,000, with around a third concentrated in the north of the territory) they do not recognize the authority of Pristina and remain identified with Belgradewho they depend on financially.
Belgrade never recognized Kosovo’s secession in 2008, proclaimed after a bloody war that began with an armed Albanian rebellion in 1997 that left 13,000 dead and led to a NATO military intervention against Serbia in 1999, in the absence of the UN.
Since then, the region has witnessed sporadic conflict between the two main local communities.
The latest episode of tension occurred in September last year following Pristina’s decision to ban Serbian identification tags: two border posts were blocked for several days.
Independent Kosovo has been recognized by around 100 countries, including the US, which maintains strong influence under Kosovar leadership, and most EU member states, with the exception of Spain, Romania, Greece, Slovakia and Cyprus.
Serbia still considers Kosovo an integral part of its territory, and Belgrade benefits from the support of Russia and China, which like dozens of other countries (including India, Brazil or South Africa) have not recognized Kosovo’s independence either.
Source: Observadora
