North Kosovo crisis (2022–2024): Difference between revisions
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In 2011, an agreement was concluded between [[Serbia]] and Kosovo on the use of neutral documents and license plates by the northerners of Kosovo, which expire on August 1, 2022.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.eurointegration.com.ua/rus/news/2022/07/31/7144187/|title=Обострение в Косове: сербы строят баррикады и готовятся к конфликту|website=www.eurointegration.com.ua}}</ref> After that, Serbian citizens entering the territory of the republic will receive temporary Kosovo documents on crossing the border, and Serbian ones will be invalid.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.rbc.ru/politics/31/07/2022/62e5b0859a794736c9faf6f2|title=Белград обвинил Приштину в подготовке «ада» для сербов в Косово|website=РБК}}</ref> |
In 2011, an agreement was concluded between [[Serbia]] and Kosovo on the use of neutral documents and license plates by the northerners of Kosovo, which expire on August 1, 2022.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.eurointegration.com.ua/rus/news/2022/07/31/7144187/|title=Обострение в Косове: сербы строят баррикады и готовятся к конфликту|website=www.eurointegration.com.ua}}</ref> After that, Serbian citizens entering the territory of the republic will receive temporary Kosovo documents on crossing the border, and Serbian ones will be invalid.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.rbc.ru/politics/31/07/2022/62e5b0859a794736c9faf6f2|title=Белград обвинил Приштину в подготовке «ада» для сербов в Косово|website=РБК}}</ref> |
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Serbia does not recognize the independence of Kosovo and does not consider it possible for Kosovo to establish rules for the registration of cars.<ref name="rferl" /> In the [[European Union]], almost all countries recognize Kosovo<ref name="rferl" /> and more than ninety UN members as well,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.moscowtimes.ru/2022/07/31/prezident-serbii-obvinil-kosovo-v-podgotovke-napadeniya-a22779|title=Президент Сербии обвинил Косово в подготовке нападения|first=Русская служба The Moscow|last=Times|date=31 July 2022|website=Русская служба The Moscow Times}}</ref> while other countries, including [[Russia]] and [[China]], do not recognize Kosovo.<ref name="rferl" /> Kosovo Prime Minister [[Albin Kurti]] said that the republic will apply for membership in the European Union by the end of 2022.<ref name="rferl">{{Cite web|url=https://www.rferl.org/a/kosovo-serbia-border-crossing-blocked-tensions/31967812.html|title=Kosovo Pauses Issuing Documents To Serbs As Barricades Come Down|website=RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty}}</ref> |
Serbia does not [[Recognition of Kosovo|recognize the independence of Kosovo]] and does not consider it possible for Kosovo to establish rules for the registration of cars.<ref name="rferl" /> In the [[European Union]], almost all countries recognize Kosovo<ref name="rferl" /> and more than ninety UN members as well,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.moscowtimes.ru/2022/07/31/prezident-serbii-obvinil-kosovo-v-podgotovke-napadeniya-a22779|title=Президент Сербии обвинил Косово в подготовке нападения|first=Русская служба The Moscow|last=Times|date=31 July 2022|website=Русская служба The Moscow Times}}</ref> while other countries, including [[Russia]] and [[China]], do not recognize Kosovo.<ref name="rferl" /> Kosovo Prime Minister [[Albin Kurti]] said that the republic will apply for membership in the European Union by the end of 2022.<ref name="rferl">{{Cite web|url=https://www.rferl.org/a/kosovo-serbia-border-crossing-blocked-tensions/31967812.html|title=Kosovo Pauses Issuing Documents To Serbs As Barricades Come Down|website=RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty}}</ref> |
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== Timeline == |
== Timeline == |
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Revision as of 21:06, 9 December 2022
| 2022 North Kosovo crisis | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Kosovo unrests | ||||
| Date | July 31, 2022 – present (2 years, 4 months, 3 weeks and 4 days) | |||
| Location | ||||
| Caused by |
| |||
| Status | Ongoing:
| |||
| Parties | ||||
| ||||
| Lead figures | ||||
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| Casualties and losses | ||||
Beginning on July 31, 2022 tensions between Serbia and Kosovo[a] heightened due to the expiration of the eleven-year validity period of documents for cars on August 1, 2022, between the Government of Kosovo and the Serb minority in North Kosovo.
Background
On September 22, 1991, the establishment of the independent Republic of Kosovo was proclaimed. On October 22, 1991, Albania recognized the independence of the Republic of Kosovo. In 2008, the Kosovo parliament members, not acting in the capacity of assembly of Kosovo, declared independence from Serbia, which did not recognize this, considering that Kosovo is part of it under United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244.
In 2011, an agreement was concluded between Serbia and Kosovo on the use of neutral documents and license plates by the northerners of Kosovo, which expire on August 1, 2022.[6] After that, Serbian citizens entering the territory of the republic will receive temporary Kosovo documents on crossing the border, and Serbian ones will be invalid.[7]
Serbia does not recognize the independence of Kosovo and does not consider it possible for Kosovo to establish rules for the registration of cars.[8] In the European Union, almost all countries recognize Kosovo[8] and more than ninety UN members as well,[9] while other countries, including Russia and China, do not recognize Kosovo.[8] Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti said that the republic will apply for membership in the European Union by the end of 2022.[8]
Timeline
July
On July 31, the Serbian Army was put on high alert, and Serbian civilians in the north of Kosovo began to build barricades.[10] NATO-led Kosovo Force (KFOR) sent troops to patrol the streets.[11] At the same time, the Kosovo Security Force closed the border.[10] Serbian Foreign Minister Nikola Selaković said that Kosovo is "literally preparing hell in the coming days" for the Serbs who live in Kosovo.[10] A member of the Serbian Progressive Party, Vladimir Đukanović, stated that it was necessary to "denazify the Balkans", in reference to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.[10] According to the Serbian newspaper Danas, in the north of the partially recognized Republic of Kosovo, air raid sirens[12] turned on (in the settlements: North Mitrovica, Zubin Potok).[13]
The Serbian Ministry of Defense stated: "Due to the large amount of misinformation that the administration in Pristina deliberately broadcasts and which is distributed through false social media accounts and individual websites, which indicate that there were allegedly some clashes between the Serbian army and the Kosovo police, the Ministry of Defense reports that the Serbian army did not cross the administrative line and in no way entered the territory of Kosovo and Metohija".[14] Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić noted that his country "has never been in a more difficult situation [on Kosovo] than today".[15]
According to preliminary data, there were shots from automatic weapons near the Serbian city of Novi Pazar.[16] Serbia announced the first wounded at the Jarinje checkpoint, but Kosovo denies this information.[5]
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine stated that it does not recommend citizens of Ukraine to visit Serbia.[17]
August
On August 1, after negotiations with representatives of the US and the EU, the Kosovo authorities temporarily postponed the ban on Serbian documents until September 1.[18]
On August 6, the Kosovo Police said one of their patrols near the Serbian border was attacked.[19]
On 18 August, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell announced that negotiations between Serbia and Kosovo under EU mediation had failed.[20] Amid increasing tensions, NATO deployed further KFOR forces in North Kosovo for peacekeeping purposes.[21]
On 21 August, Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić vowed to defend Kosovo Serbs if NATO failed to do so.[22] In response, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg stated that NATO was "ready to intervene" in Kosovo, should the situation deteriorate.[23]
Various videos emerged online showcasing the transferal of Serbian military equipment and vehicles to the Kosovar administrative border following heightened tensions.[24]
On 27 August, EU-facilitated dialogue between the Republic of Serbia and the Republic of Kosovo settled the dispute regarding identification documents. Serbia agreed to abolish entry and exit documents for Kosovo ID holders whilst Kosovo committed to refrain from implementing such measures for Serbian ID holders. Serbian President Aleksander Vučić stated that the ID card issue was "a tiny problem", but the licence plate one was "much more complicated".[25][26]
October
The Kosovar government, under pressure from the United States and the EU, again agreed to postpone the switch of car licence plates from 1 September to October 31. Further calls for a ten-month deferral by Western countries on October 25 were ignored by Kosovo officials.[27][28]
On October 27, in response to the announcement, leader of the Kosovar Serbs Goran Rakić, stated that "If Pristina starts enforcing the confiscation of vehicles, we will block all crossings and entrances from the north to central Kosovo" but assured that "all democratic and peaceful means" would be used to resist the move.[29]
Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić stated that "difficult times are ahead of our people" when asked what would happen on 1 November ahead of the deadline.[28]
On October 28, Kosovar Prime Minister Albin Kurti announced a phased implementation of the change of license plates up until April 25, 2023. Starting from 1–21 November, holders of Serbian plates will initially be reprimanded, then for the next two months up until January 21, 2023 a measure of fines will be introduced before probational plates would be forcefully imposed upon them.[30]
November
Serbian political representatives announced the withdrawal of all Kosovo Serbs from government institutions including municipal administrations, courts, law enforcement, and the Kosovar parliament in protest of the recent measures. Kosovar police officers of Serbian descent were subsequently televised handing in their resignations whilst several thousand Serb demonstrators in North Mitrovica demanded the formation of a Community of Serb Municipalities and an immediate annulment of the new license policy.[31][32]
On November 6, Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dačić said that a proposal submitted by France and Germany offering Serbia a faster track to EU membership in exchange for Kosovo's membership in the United Nations was rejected on the grounds that it "starts from the precedent that the independence of Kosovo is already a foregone conclusion" and that "Serbia cannot accept that".[31]
President of Republika Srpska, Milorad Dodik stated that the Bosnian entity of Republika Srpska is "ready to help the Serbian People in Kosovo, even beyond its capacity"[33]
Kosovar Prime Minister Albin Kurti accused Serbia of "sabotage" and urged the Serbs not to "boycott or abandon Kosovo's institutions".[34]
Drone incidents
In early November, the Serbian Ministry of Defence claimed that several drones had violated Serbian airspace. Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, serving as supreme commander of the Serbian Armed Forces, subsequently issued an order to "eliminate" any drones entering Serbian airspace and had placed Serbian forces on "high alert".
On 2 November, the Serbian Ministry of Defence stated that a "commercial drone" originating from the territory of Kosovo was intercepted and destroyed near the army barracks located in the vicinity of Raška, 250 kilometres southwest from Belgrade. No further information was provided.
Kosovo Defence Minister Armend Mehaj denied that drones were flying into Serbia from Kosovo.[35]
See also
- Kosovo–Serbia relations
- 2008 unrest in Kosovo
- North Kosovo crisis (2011–2013)
- 2012 North Kosovo referendum
- 2021 North Kosovo crisis
Explanatory notes
References
- ^ "Đurić potvrdio da policajci regiona Sever neće da izdaju opomene, poslate saobraćajne jedinice iz Prištine". 2 November 2022.
- ^ "Dodik: Republika Srpska spremna da pomogne Srbima na Kosovu". 5 November 2022.
- ^ "Teofilaktu: Priština ne poštuje obaveze, Kipar ne menja stav o Kosovu". 10 November 2022.
- ^ a b "Vučić: Čeka nas komplikovan period, Nemci i Britanci podržavaju Kurtija". 11 November 2022.
- ^ a b "Ситуация накаляется. Что происходит между Сербией и Косово (онлайн)". РБК-Украина.
- ^ "Обострение в Косове: сербы строят баррикады и готовятся к конфликту". www.eurointegration.com.ua.
- ^ "Белград обвинил Приштину в подготовке «ада» для сербов в Косово". РБК.
- ^ a b c d "Kosovo Pauses Issuing Documents To Serbs As Barricades Come Down". RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty.
- ^ Times, Русская служба The Moscow (31 July 2022). "Президент Сербии обвинил Косово в подготовке нападения". Русская служба The Moscow Times.
- ^ a b c d "На сербско-косовской границе начались вооруженные столкновения, - СМИ". hvylya.net. 31 July 2022.
- ^ "Tensions Rise as Kosovo Implements Reciprocity Measures on Serbia". 31 July 2022.
- ^ Видяев, Александра Ганга, Никита (31 July 2022). "СМИ сообщили о сиренах тревоги в городах на границе Сербии и Косово". Известия.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Леонов, Данила (31 July 2022). "Вооруженные столкновения начались на сербско-косовской границе". Blizko.by (in Russian). Retrieved 30 August 2022.
- ^ Новости, Р. И. А. (31 July 2022). "Минобороны Сербии опровергло сообщения о вводе армии в Косово". РИА Новости (in Russian). Retrieved 3 December 2022.
- ^ "Эскалация вокруг Косово: сербы строят баррикады и переводят армию в повышенную готовность". The Page.
- ^ "Стрельба в Сербии: на сербско-косовской границе начались вооруженные столкновения, - СМИ (видео)". ФОКУС. 31 July 2022.
- ^ "Громадянам України рекомендовано утриматись від відвідування південних районів Сербії, - МЗС". LB.ua.
- ^ "Косово отложило запрет на сербские документы до 1 сентября". www.kommersant.ru. 1 August 2022.
- ^ "Kosovo police patrol attacked in volatile north". Reuters. 6 August 2022.
- ^ "Serbia, Kosovo fail to break car number plate impasse, agree to more talks". Reuters. 18 August 2022.
- ^ "American NATO troops deployed at check points in Kosovo". Al Arabiya. 19 August 2022.
- ^ "'Protect Serbs in Kosovo or we'll do it ourselves', Vucic warns NATO". Euronews. 22 August 2022.
- ^ "Kosovo: Nato ready to intervene if situation deteriorates – News – Nuova Europa". ANSA. 17 August 2022.
- ^ "Active movement of Serbian military equipment to the borders with Kosovo is fixed". Reporter. 26 August 2022. Retrieved 20 August 2022.
- ^ "Serbia-Kosovo ID document row settled, says EU". BBC News. 27 August 2022. Retrieved 30 August 2022.
- ^ Brussels, AFP in (27 August 2022). "Serbia and Kosovo reach free movement agreement". the Guardian. Retrieved 30 August 2022.
- ^ Reuters (1 September 2022). "Kosovo pushes ahead with car licensing rule resisted by Serbs". Reuters. Retrieved 28 October 2022.
{{cite news}}:|last=has generic name (help) - ^ a b Correspondent, EU Reporter (27 October 2022). "Kosovo will not delay Serb car plate rule despite calls by West". EU Reporter. Retrieved 28 October 2022.
{{cite web}}:|last=has generic name (help) - ^ "Kosovo Serbs Warn They Will Again Block Roads If License-Plate Deal Not Extended". RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty. Retrieved 28 October 2022.
- ^ "Kosovo PM Postpones Controversial Licence Plate Change for Serbs". Balkan Insight. 28 October 2022. Retrieved 5 November 2022.
- ^ a b "Ethnic Serbs Rally in Kosovo After Leaving Jobs in Protest". VOA. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
- ^ "Serbs in northern Kosovo quit state jobs in licence plate protest". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
- ^ admin (6 November 2022). "Dodik: The RS is ready to help the Serbian People in Kosovo, even beyond its Capacity". Sarajevo Times. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
- ^ Reuters (7 November 2022). "Kosovo accuses Serbia of sabotage by backing Serbs who quit jobs". Reuters. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
{{cite news}}:|last=has generic name (help) - ^ Reuters (2 November 2022). "Serbia says drones enter its airspace from Kosovo amid rise in tensions". Reuters. Retrieved 3 November 2022.
{{cite news}}:|last=has generic name (help)