Switzerland urges détente between Serbia and Kosovo

Lorries loaded with stones block a street in the northern, Serb-dominated part of the ethnically divided city of Mitrovica on Tuesday Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved

Switzerland has repeated its calls for all parties involved in the conflict between Serbia and Kosovo not to aggravate the situation any further. The foreign ministry stressed the importance of peace-keeping missions KFOR and EULEX.

“We once more call upon all parties involved to refrain from rhetoric or actions that can further inflame the situation,” the foreign ministry tweeted on Tuesday.

“KFOR and EULEX are key to maintaining order and safety of local communities in north Kosovo,” it said.

The Swiss Armed Forces’ contingent in Kosovo, SWISSCOY, has been involved in the Kosovo peacekeeping mission KFOR since the NATO-led multinational military formation was set up in 1999 after the end of the Kosovo war. EULEX is the EU Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo.

Barricades

Protesting Serbs in the ethnically divided city of Mitrovica in northern Kosovo erected new barricades on Tuesday, hours after Serbia said it had put its army on the highest combat alert following weeks of escalating tensions between Serbian capital Belgrade and Kosovan capital Pristina. Serbia’s defence ministry said it believed Kosovo was preparing to attack Serbs and forcefully remove the barricades.

Kosovo’s government called on NATO peacekeepers to remove the barricades, but said it had the capacity and readiness to act.

Following the closure of the main border crossing point from Serbia to Kosovo at Merdare, people wanting to enter Kosovo are reportedly being threatened on the Serbian side. Among them are many Swiss, according to Swiss-based Albanian-language information portal Le Canton 27.

The stand-off comes after months of trouble over the issue of car number plates. For years Kosovo has wanted the roughly 50,000 Serbs in the north to switch their Serbian car number plates to ones issued by Pristina, as part of the government’s desire to assert authority over its territory.

Kosovo won independence from Serbia in 2008, almost a decade after a guerrilla uprising against Belgrade’s rule. Switzerland soon joined other Western countries in recognising Kosovo as an independent country.

Serbia, however, still considers Kosovo to be an integral part of its territory and rejects suggestions it is whipping up tensions and conflict within its neighbour’s borders. Belgrade accuses Pristina of trampling on the rights of minority Serbs.

Little progress

Ethnic Serbs, who do not recognise the Pristina government or Kosovan state institutions, account for 5% of Kosovo’s 1.8 million people, with ethnic Albanians making up about 90%. The Serbs have vented their hostility by refusing to pay Kosovo’s power operator for the electricity they use and by frequently attacking police who try to make arrests.

Serbs in Kosovo want to create an association of majority-Serb municipalities that would operate with greater autonomy. Serbia and Kosovo have made little progress on this and other issues since committing in 2013 to the EU-sponsored dialogue.

NATO has about 3,700 troops stationed in Kosovo to maintain the peace. The alliance said it would intervene in line with its mandate if stability in the area were jeopardised. EULEX, which arrived in 2008, still has around 200 special police officers there.