FLASH
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The NATO mission in Kosovo, KFOR, demands that those involved in the attacks on the members of this mission in Zveçan last year be held responsible.
Through a statement, on the occasion of the one-year anniversary of the violent protests in Zveçan - a municipality inhabited by a majority of Serbs in the north of Kosovo - the commander of the NATO peacekeeping mission in Kosovo, KFOR, General Ozkan Ulutas, said that on May 29, 2023 , members of this mission prevented "further escalation of violence".
"Today, we honor the services and sacrifices of our fellow soldiers, who put their lives at risk to carry out their duties for all communities living in Kosovo, in accordance with the mandate. Their courage helped to stabilize the situation in the area and prevent a further escalation of violence", Ulutas emphasized.
KFOR has said that the facts must be proven and the perpetrators must be held accountable. During the clashes, 93 members of KFOR were injured, some of them with serious injuries. On the one-year anniversary of the violent protests, KFOR said the attacks were "unprovoked and completely unacceptable".
NATO 1 thousand forces in Kosovo
Following the violence, NATO has deployed around 1,000 additional peacekeepers to Kosovo. KFOR has tripled the number of patrols, including controls along the border line.
"This was the biggest reinforcement of our contingent in Kosovo in a decade and this shows that NATO is ready to maintain peace", KFOR emphasized.
Commander Ulutas says that they will be steadfast in contributing to Kosovo's security and regional stability.
"Our commitment to contribute to sustainable security throughout Kosovo and to regional stability is unwavering. KFOR continues to take all necessary actions to maintain a secure environment, in accordance with its mandate under UN Security Council Resolution 1244 of 1999, at all times and in an impartial manner, to the good of all communities living in Kosovo", said Ulutas.
What happened in May 2023
In May 2023, Serbs in the north protested against the new Albanian presidents, who were elected in April, after the boycott of the election process by Serbs and Serbian parties. Kosovo blamed Serbia for the events in Zveçan, saying they were carried out by "criminal groups close to the president of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić". But Serbia denied such an accusation, accusing the Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, of wanting to push the Serbs "towards a conflict with NATO".
Ten people have been arrested in Kosovo so far for the violence in the protests and for the attacks on KFOR members. Earlier, KFOR stated that it hoped that Belgrade would also investigate those persons "who returned to Serbia" after the riots, saying that it expects all the perpetrators "to be prosecuted". However, the competent institutions in Serbia have not yet commented on this issue, it is not known whether the Serbian authorities are developing any process against the persons who participated in the attack on KFOR.
The developments of a year ago provoked tensions with Serbia, which raised the level of readiness of the military troops, as well as the harsh reaction of Western diplomacy, which condemned the actions of the Kosovo authorities.
The European Union imposed punitive measures against the government of Kosovo due to the tensions in the north while asking it to meet several conditions for their removal, including holding new elections in the north of the country.
The government agreed to hold new elections, through a vote to dismiss the current mayors, which failed last month due to a boycott of the vote by members of the Serbian community.
The authorities in Kosovo have called on the European Union to remove the punitive measures against it after fulfilling the obligations for holding the voting process for the removal of the presidents in the north of the country.
The officials of the European Union say that they are preparing a report regarding the fulfillment of the conditions by the authorities in Kosovo for the removal of the measures.
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