BERLIN: Germany’s Foreign Office on Saturday called for de-escalation as Serbia’s military build-up on the border with Kosovo raises alarm in Europe and the United States, reported German news agency (dpa).
“It is important that Serbia reduces its troops at the border to Kosovo without delay,“ the ministry wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.
“Together with our partners, we are in direct contact with the parties involved. The political process needs to continue urgently.”
On Friday, the White House said Serbia was carrying out a “large” and “unprecedented” military deployment, including artillery, tanks and troops, along the border.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke on the phone with Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić to express Washington’s concern.
Vučić, however, said the US was spreading “untruths” about Serbia’s military moves.
Growing tensions boiled over last Sunday when at least 30 heavily armed Serbian paramilitaries engaged in fighting with the Kosovar police in the village of Banjska, also known as Bajskë, near Mitrovica in northern Kosovo.
Three Serbian attackers and a Kosovar policeman were killed. In response to the events, NATO said it planned to strengthen the KFOR peacekeeping force it leads in Kosovo.
Kosovo, which today is almost exclusively inhabited by Albanians, seceded from Serbia in 1999 after NATO intervention and declared independence in 2008. More than 100 countries recognise Kosovo’s independence. Serbia, however, demands the return of its former province. - Bernama