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"Threshold of conflict" in the Balkans/The British tabloid The Sun writes about Pristina-Belgrade tensions

2022-11-23 00:15:37Kosova&Bota SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX
"Threshold of conflict" in the Balkans/The British tabloid The Sun
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Russia's invasion of Ukraine could turn into new bloodshed in Europe, warned a former NATO ambassador. It is suspected that Vladimir Putin's brutal war could become the backdrop for a wave of violence between pro-European Kosovo and Russia-aligned Serbia. Peace talks have failed to calm a bitter dispute over car number plates, leaving the region "on the brink of conflict".

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell warned that failure to resolve the long-running issue could cause "violence", and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic also warned of "hell on the ground" if Kosovo does not withdraw from the dispute. Over the past two years, the seemingly minor license plate change has been met with fierce opposition from ethnic Serbs in northern Kosovo, who still answer to Serbian rather than Kosovo authorities.

The flashpoint could become a new war in the global power game between the West and Russia. In an article for "TheSun", Vesko Garcevic, former Montenegrin ambassador to NATO and professor at Boston University, warned that Russia-linked Serbia is "playing with fire".

"Serbia will want to escalate this war as much as it can, and if they go any further, it could get out of hand. The US, the UK and the UN should be more involved in preventive action. They should they tell Belgrade that this is not a game and will not be tolerated," Garcevic told The Sun Online.

Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008, much to the fury of Belgrade, which refuses to recognize it as an independent nation.

Kosovo and Serbia have clashed before in the Balkan Wars, with the bloodiest between 1998 and 1999 leaving 14,000 dead, thousands missing and a NATO intervention. Kosovo has support from NATO - but this has not stopped tensions with Serbia.

The ethnic Serbs in northern Kosovo are very pro-Russian and enthusiastic about Putin and his ideas – but they are also armed. EU High Commissioner Josep Borrell called on both sides to start a new dialogue as the EU tries to mediate between the two sides.


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