The United States and European Union on Wednesday (June 7) told Kosovo to back down amid its standoff with ethnic Serbs or face “consequences’ its Western allies. The tension with ethnic Serbs has flared up in northern parts of Kosovo.
The warning came as envoys of US and the EU concluded visits to Kosovo and Serbia. The envoys had visited to calm tensions that flared into violence last week. The clashes wounded dozens of NATO peace-keeping soldiers.
The violence started when Kosovo authorities installed ethnic Albanian mayors who were elected to their offices in elections that saw less than five per cent of voters come out to vote. The election was boycotted by ethnic Serbs who are in majority in northern Kosovan cities. Ethnic Serbs did not consider the mayors to be their representatives.
Gabriel Escobar, the US envoy to the Western Balkans, said that Kosovo must give more autonomy to Serb-majority municipalities if it wants to go in the direction of joining the EU and NATO.
“The actions taken or not taken could have some consequences that will affect parts of the relationship (between Kosovo and the United States), I don’t want to get there,” Escobar told Kosovo media on Tuesday before going to Belgrade.
Escobar, along with EU’s Miroslav Lajcak did not reveal details of what will these consequences be or what’s in store for Kosovo PM Albin Kurti’s ethnic Albanian-dominated government.
“I don’t think that these things are resolved with pressure and by mentioning consequences and even sanctions,” Kurti told reporters on Wednesday.
“We have challenges with EU and U.S. envoys but our bilateral relations with the EU and U.S. are excellent.”
Lajcak said on Monday that the envoys presented proposals to Kurti to de-escalate the situation in northern Kosovo, adding they had a “long, honest, difficult discussion”.
Fresh elections?
The EU and the US have called on Kosovan PM to recall mayors from their offices and also to pull out special police unit that helped to install them. They have also stressed on calling fresh elections with Serb participation. The US and the EU have also appealed Kosovo to implement an agreement struck in 2013 that paved way for formation of association of Serb municipalities so that the community can get more autonomy.
Kosovo broke away from Serbia in 2008. Western countries like the US have been stauncg backers of Kosovo’s independence. Kosovo does not have recognition from all countries in the world. It does not till now, have a seat at the United Nations.
(With inputs from agencies)
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