- Belgrade releases detained Kosovo police officers, tensions persist between the two parties
- Indictment against officers dropped as they are reunited with their families
- Tensions escalate between Kosovo and Serbia over ethnic Albanian mayors and smuggling allegations
Belgrade released three Kosovo police officers on Monday after a court judgement.
After more than 30 NATO peacekeepers were injured in northern Kosovo in late May, the two parties escalated tensions.
“We certify the release of the three kidnapped police officers. This abduction constitutes a grave violation of human rights and must be punished, Kosovo’s Prime Minister Albin Kurti wrote on social media, even though the abductees were reunited with their families.
After a Serbian court accused the three, Kurti said that their incarceration had been “terminated.”
“The higher tribunal has confirmed the indictment against the aforementioned individuals and ordered that their detention be terminated,” read a statement from the higher court in Kraljevo, Serbia, which heard the case.
Officials greeted and shook hands with the three officers when they entered Kosovo at Merdare on Monday afternoon.
The Kosovo administration accused Serbia of kidnapping the three policemen. However, Belgrade accused the three of entering its territory.
The administration of Kurti has attempted to curb rampant smuggling across its northern border, accusing Serbia of using organized crime and black market trade to control Serb-majority areas of northern Kosovo.
The prime minister stated that the “kidnapping” of its police officers was likely “revenge” for the arrest of an alleged Serb paramilitary commander in Kosovo this month, whom Kurti claimed was a key figure in the smuggling gangs.
Extreme conflicts
Last month, Pristina appointed ethnic Albanian mayors in four Serb-majority communities, escalating tensions between the archrivals.
France, Germany, and the United States have all urged Pristina and Belgrade to reduce tensions. While the United States has explicitly criticized the Kosovo government’s decision to install mayors.
Last week, the European Union convened crisis talks mediated by Chief of foreign policy Josep Borrell to defuse tensions.
Since Kosovo and Serbia leaders didn’t meet, it didn’t seem like progress was made.
“After four hours of discussion, I believe the two leaders recognize the gravity of the situation,” said Borrell. “However, it is evident that they have different circumstances, approaches, and interpretations.”
The dispute was the most recent in a long line of incidents that have rocked the region since 2008 when Kosovo declared independence from Serbia — nearly a decade after Nato forces helped push Serbian forces out of the former province during a bloody conflict in which approximately 13,000 people, mostly ethnic Albanians, were killed.
