Serbia warns NATO to 'focus on its duties' in Kosovo as tensions escalate in region

The Serbian government has warned the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) to "focus on its duties" in Kosovo or else Belgrade would take steps to protect its minority in the breakaway region. In a fiery televised address to his nation on Sunday, August 21, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic made the remarks after political negotiations between Serbian and Kosovo authorities failed in Brussels. The Republic of Kosovo is a partially recognised state in Southeast Europe, which is located at the center of the Balkans. 

Around 4,000 NATO-led troops deployed in Kosovo

In February 2008, Kosovo unilaterally proclaimed its independence from Serbia. Since then, at least 97 member states of the United Nations have recognised Kosovo as an independent state. However, Serbia along with its allies China and Russia has refused to acknowledge Kosovo's declaration of Independence. 

“We have nowhere to go, we are cornered. We will save our people from persecution and pogroms, if NATO does not want to do it," Vucic stated, as per Associated Press (AP). 

Additionally, he asserted that it is necessary to prevent Kosovo Albanian "gangs" from entering the northern part of the region, where the majority of the Kosovo Serbs reside.

Around 4,000 NATO-led troops deployed in Kosovo

In 1999, a NATO-led intervention put an end to the conflict in Kosovo between Serbian forces and the separatists and halted Belgrade's gruesome crackdown on the province's Albanian population. Since then, nearly 4,000 NATO-led troops are stationed in Kosovo, to prevent any armed action by Serbia, which could potentially result in a significant escalation of conflict in Europe. According to reports, the European Union (EU) has presided over several unsuccessful talks to normalize their ties, stating that mending their relations is one of the key prerequisites for Kosovo and Serbia to ultimately gain membership in the 27-nation bloc. 

Tension escalates between Serbia and Kosovo

It should be noted here that tensions between Serbia and Kosovo escalated further in July after the Kosovo administration led by Prime Minister Albin Kurti ruled that Serbian identity documents and vehicle licence plates would no longer be recognized in Kosovo's territory. Notably, Serbia has applied the same restrictions to Kosovo citizens entering the country for over a decade. 

Meanwhile, Serbian President Vucic stated that the country would make an effort to find a "workable solution" to the issue in the next 10 days. He also lambasted the Serbian government, saying that it is only concerned with eliminating all traces of the Serbian state in Kosovo.

(With inputs from AP)

Image: AP