After Ukraine, new sounds of war grow alongside Turkey

Tension in northern Kosovo, which has been rising for some time, escalated into a heated conflict last night, raising new war concerns in Europe after Ukraine.

Last week there was a clash between the Kosovar Serbs and the security forces, who oppose the deployment of Albanian officials and police in townships in the majority Serb-populated areas of northern Kosovo. Tensions escalated rapidly yesterday, as at least 30 Peace Corps soldiers and more than 50 Serb protesters were injured in the clash between Serbs protesting in front of the Zveçan township and the NATO Peacekeeping Force (KFOR) in Kosovo.

While many people were detained in the incidents in which tear gas and sound bombs were used, NATO condemned the situation as “unacceptable”.

NATO forces today surrounded the region and limited entry and exit.

CALL FOR CONTINENCE FROM Türkiye

Many countries, including Türkiye, asked Kosovo and Serbia for restraint.

In a written statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, “We are following the events in northern Kosovo with concern. These events harm regional security and stability. We call on all parties to avoid violence and not take measures that increase the tensions. We appreciate the constructive role of the Kosovo Peace Corps (KFOR) in preventing the escalation of events. It is with sadness that we learned that some KFOR soldiers were slightly injured in the events that occurred. The only way to reduce tension and establishing lasting peace and stability in the region is advancing the ongoing dialogue process.

The head of EU Foreign Policy, Josep Borrell, also demanded that the necessary measures be taken to reduce tensions.

THE PRIME MINISTER OF KOSOVO WANTS TO BE THE NEW ZELENSKY

Meanwhile, tensions rose with statements made yesterday on television by the leaders of Kosovo and Serbia. Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti said: “There is no place for fascist violence in democracy,” while accusing Serbia of provocation. Noting that Serbia is getting closer to Russia, Kurti argued that the Serbian government cannot move away from the ideology of former Yugoslavia leader Slobodan Milosevic.

Serbian President Aleksandır Vucic, who held an emergency meeting with foreign ambassadors in Belgrade, reacted very harshly to the Kosovar prime minister. Vucic said that Kurti “dreams of becoming a New Zelensky” and expressed that he is worried that a big war would break out in the region.

Serbia put the army on alert and sent troops to the border last week amid escalating tensions.

UNIVERSAL INDEPENDENCE

Albanian political party candidates won special local elections in northern Kosovo on 23 April, while Kosovo Serbs, who constitute the majority in the region, boycotted the election.

Serbia considers Kosovo, which unilaterally declared its independence in 2008, as its territory.

Although Kosovo is recognized as an “independent state” by 117 countries, it is described as “one of Europe’s frozen conflict zones” due to ongoing ethnic tensions in the north and its inability to become a member of the United Nations.

Serbia and Kosovo, which regularly clash, are trying to find a common path to normalize relations and eventually for the two countries to get to know each other, within the framework of the Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue Process launched in 2011 under the mediation of the European Union. (AGENCIES)