3 members of an armed unit killed[7][8][9] 6+ other members wounded Serbian claim: 55+ protesters injured Kosovar claim: 13+ members of an armed Serb unit killed
1 Žandarmerija member arrested, according to the Kosovo Police.
3 Kosovo police officers captured by Serbia, released on 26 June[10][11]
Beginning on 31 July 2022, tensions between
Kosovo and
Serbia heightened due to the expiration of the eleven-year validity period of documents for cars on 1 August 2022, between the
government of Kosovo and the
Serbs in
North Kosovo. Kosovo, which
declared independence in 2008, signed an agreement with Serbia in 2011 that determined the use of license plates in North Kosovo. This agreement was supposed to change license plates from the
ones that were issued by Serbia to neutral ones. The agreement for the change was extended in 2016 and expired in 2021, which led to a
crisis in 2021 that ended with an agreement to terminate the ban of
Kosovo-issued license plates in Serbia.
After a Kosovo announcement that Serbian citizens who enter Kosovo will receive entry and exit documents, a number of barricades were created in North Kosovo on 31 July 2022 but were removed two days later after Kosovo announced that it would postpone the ban on license plates issued by Serbia. In August 2022, unsuccessful negotiations regarding license plates were held, although the ID document dispute was solved. A proposed agreement, dubbed the "
German-French proposal" by the media, would be the basis of consultations beginning in January 2023.
Albin Kurti declined to postpone the deadline for license plates and instead announced a phased implementation that would run from November 2022 until April 2023. Before this began, a number of Kosovo Serb police officers, mayors, judges, and
Serb Listmembers of parliament resigned from government institutions. Kosovo and Serbia negotiated again in November 2022 and they had found an agreement on 23 November 2022 which settled that license plates that Serbia issued would continue to be in use in North Kosovo.
Kosovo formally signed an application to seek candidate status for European Union membership on 14 December 2022, its impending signature resulted in a number of barricades being set up in North Kosovo on 10 December; they were dismantled on 30 December. In Serbia,
far-right groups staged protests in support of Kosovo Serbs. In December 2022, Serbia submitted a request to
Kosovo Force for the deployment of up to 1,000 Serbian military and police forces in Kosovo, which ended up being rejected in January 2023.
In April
local elections were held, boycotted by ethnic Serbs. Based on an extremely low number of votes, ethnic Albanian mayors were elected. On 26 May 2023, Kosovo took control of the North Kosovo municipal buildings by force, to enable the newly elected ethnic Albanian mayors to physically assume office. A civil disturbance occurred, and Serbia put its armed forces on alert. The decision of Kosovo to use force was condemned by the United States and the EU. With mayors unable to perform their duties, in July Kosovo announced that new mayor elections will be held.
From 1 January 2024 Serbia implemented the 2011 agreement and recognised Kosovo license plates.[12]
An agreement between Serbia and Kosovo was concluded on the use of license plates in 2011.[24] Up to that point, Serbia issued Serbian license plates for North Kosovo, although after the agreement the license plates were changed to neutral ones.[24] This agreement was extended in 2016 and was valid until September 2021.[24] After the expiration of the agreement, a
crisis occurred and it lasted until October 2021 when another agreement was reached, which effectively ended the ban of Kosovar license plates in Serbia.[25][26] This agreement was initially intended to be temporary, although in April 2022, the agreement was extended for a further period.[27][28]
Later that day, the
ministry of defence of Serbia stated that "the
Serbian Army did not cross the border into Kosovo", amid reports that it did enter Kosovo.[36]Aleksandar Vučić, the
president of Serbia, also stated that he would want the ban to be postponed.[37] He added that "if they don't want to keep the peace, Serbia will win";[38] Kurti accused Vučić and
Petar Petković, the director of the
office for Kosovo and Metohija, for being responsible for the unrest.[39] According to the government of Serbia, one Serb was wounded at the Jarinje border crossing, although the government of Kosovo denied that and stated that only some shooting occurred.[40][41] Additionally, one gunman also fired on the
Kosovo Police.[35]
The Kosovo Police reported that one of their patrols was attacked with fire on 6 August near the border.[47] Opposition political parties in Kosovo accused Kurti of "scaring investors about a possible new conflict with Serbia"; Kurti denied the accusations and instead blamed
Russia and
Vladimir Putin, accusing them of spreading disinformation.[48][49] At a joint news conference and negotiations with Kurti and Vučić,
Jens Stoltenberg, the
secretary general of NATO, stated that "NATO urges restraint but stands ready to intervene if needed".[50][51] A day later, Borrell met with Kurti and Vučić; Borrell stated that the meeting ended without an agreement, but that the talks would also resume in the following days.[52][53] On 19 August, NATO deployed further KFOR forces in North Kosovo for peacekeeping purposes.[54] Additionally, Vučić stated that KFOR forces should "do their job" and vowed to "defend Kosovo Serbs if NATO failed to do so".[55]
Borrell announced that the ID document dispute was settled on 27 August.[56] It was announced that Serbia agreed to abolish entry and exit documents for Kosovo ID holders while Kosovo committed to refrain from implementing such measures for Serbian ID holders.[56] Vučić stated that he was "very happy that we found a solution", while
Igor Simić, the vice president of the
Serb List, stated that "this was the victory of Serbian diplomacy".[57][58] Kurti also praised the agreement, but received criticism from opposition parties in Kosovo due to allegedly continuing the policy of his opponent
Hashim Thaçi.[59][60] Political parties in Serbia, such as the
People's Party (Narodna) and
Dveri, criticized the agreement.[60]
September
The agreement, which was signed on 27 August, started being implemented on 1 September.[61][62]Ana Brnabić, the
prime minister of Serbia, visited North Mitrovica on 5 September where she met with representatives of the Serb List.[63][64] During her speech, she stated that she would be willing to "compromise in the interest of peace and stability".[65] On the same day,
Emmanuel Macron, the
president of France, and
Olaf Scholz, the
chancellor of Germany, urged Vučić and Kurti to "move past differences at a moment of crucial importance for security".[66] In a speech to the
National Assembly of Serbia on 13 September, Vučić stated that "a realistic solution should be offered for Kosovo, but Serbia will not recognize its independence".[67]
A proposed agreement that was sent by Lajčák,
Jens Plötner [
de] and
Emmanuel Bonne, associates of Scholz and Macron respectively, was leaked on 19 September.[68][69][70] A day later, NATO announced that it would send more KFOR forces in case of new tensions.[71] The ministry of internal affairs of Kosovo confirmed on 21 September that cars with license plates that were issued by Serbia will be considered to be unregistered after 1 November.[72]
October
In early October, Kosovo and Serbia confirmed the existence of the proposed agreement.[73] Vučić stated that according to the proposed agreement, Kosovo would receive membership in the United Nations, while Serbia in exchange would receive a sped up accession to the European Union.[74][75]Radio Free Europe disputed this claim and instead claimed that the agreement includes "development of good relations on the basis of equal rights, recognition of national symbols, special arrangement for the Serb community and the
Serbian Orthodox Church in Kosovo, deepening cooperation at all levels, an agreement on all prior agreements and that Serbia will not oppose Kosovo's membership in any international organization".[76] Osmani stated that the proposed agreement is "a good basis for talks" but that "we never said that the document as such without any changes can be acceptable for Kosovo".[77] The media has dubbed the agreement as "German-French proposal".[78][79]
Gabriel Escobar, the
U.S. State Department special envoy for the Balkans, stated on 20 October that Kosovo should postpone the deadline.[80]Goran Rakić, the leader of the Serb List, met with Vučić on 27 October.[81] During a press conference, Rakić stated that "if Kosovo starts enforcing the confiscation of vehicles and license plates, we will use all means against it" but assured that "all democratic and peaceful means" would be only used.[81][82] Kurti declined to postpone the deadline,[83] although on 28 October he announced a phased implementation of the change of license plates up to 21 April.[84][85] He also added that cars with license plates that were issued by Serbia will be "reprimanded, then fined, and then forced to attach probationary plates to their cars".[84]
November
The phased implementation began on 1 November.[86][87] A day later, Nenad Đurić, the director of the Regional Police Directorate for North Kosovo, stated that the police in North Kosovo would not implement the decision on the re-registration of license plates that were issued by Serbia to the ones that are issued by Kosovo.[88] On 5 November, hundreds of Kosovo Serb police officers, mayors, judges, and Serb List
members of parliament withdrew from government institutions in protest.[89][90][91] In response, Kurti, Borrell, and
Christopher R. Hill, the
United States ambassador to Serbia, stated that "withdrawing is not the answer to the crisis", while Vučić accused Kurti of ignoring the Brussels Agreement; Kurti stated three days prior that the Community of Serb Municipalities does not exist.[89][92] On 6 November, a protest that was organized by the Serb List was held in North Mitrovica.[93][94] Mass resignations of Kosovo Serbs continued to take place after the resignations on 5 November, after which Kurti accused Serbia of "trying to destabilize Kosovo".[95][96] As a response, NATO deployed more KFOR peacekeeping troops.[97]
Ivica Dačić, now-minister of foreign affairs of Serbia, stated on 6 November that the proposed agreement is "unacceptable" and claimed that the agreement "starts from the position that Kosovo is independent".[98] Kurti and Vučić met with Macron and Borrell in France on 11 November where they discussed about the crisis.[99][100] Borrell said that Kurti and Vučić did not reject the proposed agreement and that Kosovo Serbs should return to the government institutions, while he also urged Kurti to form the Community of Serb Municipalities.[100][101] Vučić also accused Germany and United Kingdom of allegedly backing Kurti.[102] Following the meeting, Osmani announced that
local elections will be held in four municipalities in North Kosovo in December 2022; the election was later postponed to April 2023.[103] Kurti and Vučić met again with Lajčák and Borrell to discuss about the implementation of license plates on 21 November.[104] They failed to reach an agreement, although Kurti soon after announced that he had accepted the proposal from the United States to postpone the application of the measure to punish car owners who have not changed license plates that were issued by Serbia for two days.[104][105] A day later, another series of talks were held during which an agreement between Kosovo and Serbia was reached.[106] Borrell stated that Kosovo and Serbia would now "concentrate on normalizing their relations", while Petković, who was one of the negotiators, stated that license plates that were issued by Serbia would continue to be in use in North Kosovo.[106][107][108] On the same day, two anti-government protests were held in North Mitrovica and
Gračanica.[109][110][111]
Amidst the crisis, the ministry of defence of Serbia claimed that "several drones have entered Serbian airspace from Kosovo over past three days" on 2 November.[112] Vučić ordered to "eliminate" any drones that enter the Serbian airspace and placed the Serbian Army on "high alert".[112][113] The ministry of defence of Serbia also claimed that a "commercial drone" was destroyed near army barracks in
Raška, although
Armend Mehaj, the minister of defence of Kosovo, denied that any drones from Kosovo entered the Serbian airspace.[113][114]
December
A barricade in North Kosovo on 12 December 2022
A protest was held in Belgrade on 12 December 2022 in support of Kosovo Serbs
Kosovo Serbs held an anti-government protest near
Zvečan on 22 December 2022
Kurti appointed
Nenad Rašić as the minister of communities and returns on 1 December, a position which was held by Rakić until his resignation on 5 November.[115] Serb List claimed that his appointment was "unconstitutional", while Vučić called Rašić the "worst Serbian scum" during a press conference.[116][117] During the EU-Western Balkans summit in Tirana on 6 December, Vučić and Osmani received an updated version of the proposed agreement.[118][119] Additionally, Osmani officially announced that Kosovo would apply to join the European Union in December 2022;[118][120] Kosovo formally signed an application to seek the candidate status for European Union membership on 14 December, with Vučić claiming that Kosovo violated the
Washington Agreement by signing the application.[121][122][123]
On 8 December, Petković stated that Serbia would consider deploying 1,000 Serbian military forces to Kosovo, citing content of the Article 4 and Annex 2, Article 6 of the
United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244, due to claims that the Regional Operational Support Unit (ROSU) allegedly raided North Mitrovica.[124][125][126] The government of Kosovo denied that ROSU entered North Mitrovica, stating that "it was the police, and not some other unit".[124][127] On the same day, Kosovo Police reported that a group of armed people attacked one of their police officers.[128][129] A day later, Brnabić agreed with Petković and accused KFOR of "failing to protect Serbs" from an alleged harassment of Kosovo Serbs.[130] Osmani described the consideration as "an act of aggression".[131] On 10 December, Vučić stated that he will send a request to KFOR in order to deploy military and police forces in Kosovo, although he also added that he "knows that this request will be rejected".[132][133][134] Escobar stated on 13 December that "the United States is against Serbia sending military forces to Kosovo".[135] Serbia sent a request to KFOR for the deployment of 1,000 Serbian military and police forces on 16 December.[136][137] A number of barricades began forming after an arrest of Dejan Pantić, a former police officer of Serb ethnicity, on the same day.[138][139] It was reported that the barricades were seen at
Leposavić and
Zvečan and that air raid sirens were also turned on.[138] Kosovo Police then announced that border crossings at Jarinje and
Brnjak would be closed.[138]Xhelal Sveçla, the minister of internal affairs of Kosovo, stated that Pantić was one of the suspects who attacked police officers in the days preceding the formation of the barricades;[139] Pantić was sentenced to a
house arrest on 28 December.[140] A day later, a stun grenade was thrown at a car that belonged to the
European Union Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo (EULEX), although there were no reported injuries.[141][142] Borrell and NATO condemned the attack, with Borrell also stating that the barricades should be removed.[143][144] On the same day, Kurti asked KFOR to guarantee "freedom of movement" after accusing demonstrators of blocking the roads, while Vučić vowed to "maintain peace".[141][145] The protests remained peaceful while schools in North Kosovo were temporarily closed.[146][147]
An
ultranationalist protest in support of Kosovo Serbs was held in Belgrade on 12 December; demonstrators chanted slogans such as "
Kosovo is Serbia" and burned Kosovo flags.[148][149] The protest was attended by
far-right groups such as Dveri,
People's Patrol, and
Serbian Right.[150] On the same day, Borrell announced that the European Union would reinforce EULEX, which is tasked with patrolling North Kosovo.[151][152] After a meeting with Kurti on 13 December, Lajčák said that the "barricades should be removed with a political agreement, rather than with bulldozers", while Escobar said that he expects an agreement regarding the Community of Serb Municipalities.[153][154] People's Patrol and other far-right groups staged another protest on 18 December, although this time at the Jarinje border crossing.[155] The demonstrators were stopped by KFOR after they tried to go through the border crossing.[156] Kosovo Serbs organized a mass protest near Zvečan on 22 December.[157] At the protest, Rakić demanded the government to "release all arrested Serbs and to withdraw the Kosovo Police from North Kosovo".[158] A shooting occurred on 25 December at Zubin Potok after Kosovo Police allegedly attempted to remove barricades from a nearby road;[159][160] Kosovo Police denied this, however KFOR confirmed that some shooting did occur near their patrols.[161][162][163] Shortly after, more barricades were formed near North Mitrovica and the
Merdare border crossing, while
Miloš Vučević, the minister of defence of Serbia, announced that the Serbian Army was put up "on the highest level of alert", with the order coming from Vučić.[163][164][165] Due to the barricades, the government of Kosovo closed the Merdare border crossing on 28 December.[166][167] A day later, Kosovo Serbs agreed to start dismantling the barricades after an agreement that was reached a day prior;[168][169] they were removed by 30 December.[170] Caroline Ziadeh, the head of UNMIK, welcomed this decision, while the "increased combat readiness" of the Serbian Army was also abolished.[171][172] Border crossings were also re-opened.[173]
2023
January
On 8 January, it was announced that KFOR declined Serbia's request to deploy up to 1,000 Serbian military and police forces in Kosovo.[174][175] Kurti and Osmani met with
Derek Chollet, the
counselor of the United States Department of State, on 11 January, and two days later, Chollet met with Vučić.[176][177] Chollet stated that "Serbia and Kosovo should normalize relations" and that "in the end, Serbia will have to recognize some of Kosovo's sovereignty", while "Kosovo should give ethnic Serbs more autonomy".[178] After consultations on 20 January, Lajčák, Escobar, Plötner, Bonne, and Francesco Talo, the diplomatic advisor to prime minister of Italy
Giorgia Meloni, expressed their support for the "French-German proposal", while Lajčák commented that the "formation of the Community of Serb Municipalities is crucial".[179] On 23 January, the Kosovo Police shot at a car on the Mitrovica-Leposavić highway, wounding one Serb; Kosovo Police claimed that the car previously "hit a police car, putting the life of a police officer in direct danger".[180][181]
February
After negotiations with Lajčák on 6 February, Kurti announced that he would accept the French-German proposal, stating that "it would be a good basis for further negotiations".[182][183] Additionally, Kurti stated that "the formation of the Community of Serb Municipalities will be only possible after mutual recognition from Serbia".[184] On 27 February 2023, an agreement was verbally accepted by Kosovar prime minister
Albin Kurti and Serbian president
Aleksandar Vučić which would lead towards a signed agreement.
March
A plan, the
Ohrid Agreement, setting out a plan to advance towards normalization was agreed on 18 March 2023.[185]
April
On 10 April, a Serb civilian was shot and wounded while driving near a Kosovo Police checkpoint. The police initially denied the shooting had occurred, but hours later, four officers were arrested and remanded in custody for 48 hours—one for opening fire and three for not reporting the incident.[186] In protest of recent events, the Serb population of North Kosovo boycotted the
local elections of 23 April 2023, which were originally supposed to take place the previous December but were postponed. Kosovar election officials set up shipping containers next to roads and used them as makeshift polling stations guarded by heavily-armed members of the Kosovo Police.[187] Of 45,000 eligible voters, only 1,567 ballots were cast, representing a turnout of 3.47 per cent—the lowest in Kosovo's history. Despite the low turnout, U.S. officials announced they would recognize the results.[188] As a result of the boycott, ethnic Albanian mayors were elected in all four municipalities. The
Vetëvendosje party of Kosovo's prime minister Albin Kurti won the mayoral races in North Mitrovica and Leposavić, while candidates from the opposition Democratic Party of Kosovo were declared the winners in Zvečan and Zubin Potok.[189]
May
On 26 May 2023, Kosovo police took control of the municipal buildings in Zvečan, Zubin Potok and Leposavić to allow the newly elected mayors – with whom ethnic Serbs had refused to cooperate – to assume office. A week earlier, in North Mitrovica, the transition was handled peacefully. Protesters had gathered in front of the municipal buildings. A civil disturbance took place in Zvečan, during which the protesters unsuccessfully tried to stop the police from escorting the mayor inside. Ten protesters were treated for light injuries and tear gas inhalation, while five police officers received minor injuries.[190][191] The
flag of Serbia was removed from all four municipal buildings and replaced with the
flag of Kosovo.[192][193] Serbia declared that its armed forces have raised the level of combat readiness and have been moved closer to the border.[194] Kosovar authorities' use of force to protect the mayors was condemned by the United States and the EU.[195][190]
On 29 May 2023, clashes erupted in northern Kosovo leading to injuries to 25 KFOR peacekeepers from Hungary and Italy. Up to 50 ethnic Serb protestors were also injured.[196]
June
On 13 June, Kosovo police entered Zvečan and arrested local Serb leader Milun Milenković – accusing him of organizing Serb protests – leading to riots which left three police officers injured.[197][198] The next day, Serbian police arrested three Kosovo police officers, claiming that they crossed into
Central Serbia, Kosovo denied the allegation, instead accusing Serbian police of entering Kosovo and kidnapping the officers.[199][200] As a result, Kosovo announced a ban on the entry of vehicles with Serbian license plates and goods. Despite the ban, it was reported that Serbian vehicles were still being allowed to enter after going through tightened border controls, something which Kurti himself acknowledged in a press conference on 15 June.[201][202] On 26 June, Serbia released the three police officers and let them back into Kosovo.[203][204]
On 29 June, Kosovo declared two Serb groups – Northern Brigade and Civil Defense – terrorist organizations,[205] although the Serb List denied the existence of either.[206] The United States and the EU condemned the unilateral nature of Kosovo's decision.[207][208]
July
On 11 July, Kosovo announced a one-quarter reduction of special police forces in front of the Northern municipal buildings, as well as new mayoral elections in North Kosovo.[209][210]
On 31 July, The hospital in North Mitrovica announced that they are facing a shortage of food and medical supplies due to the closure of border crossings with Serbia, which was their main supplier, further warning that they could soon face a humanitarian disaster.[211][212]
On 24 September 2023, a group of about 30 armed
Kosovo Serbs and
Serbian militants ambushed
Kosovo Police units in the village of
Banjska,
Zvečan, North Kosovo, resulting in one policeman being killed and two others wounded. The armed group then entered the
Banjska Monastery where pilgrims from
Novi Sad had been staying and barricaded themselves inside before Kosovo Special Forces entered and cleared the monastery. At least three of the armed men were killed and the Kosovar Police apprehended six others.[213][214][215]
October
Meetings in Brussels between Serbia and Kosovo in October made no progress with Kosovo claiming Serbia had not signed the February agreement nor the implementation plan whilst Serbia reiterated it could not agree to Kosovo independence nor Kosovo joining the UN.[216]
November
Kosovo authorities extend the period in which Kosovo Serbs can convert their Serbian licence plates into Kosovar ones without incurring import fees, leading to over 1,500 cars in north Kosovo switching to the use of Kosovar licence plates as of November 16.[217]
December
By 16 December, 4,200 of the roughly 10,000 cars in circulation in the north switched to using Kosovo licence plates, per Kosovo Police. The remaining ones were registered in Serbia and their licence plates are valid in Kosovo because they make reference to cities in Serbia, not Kosovo. Kosovo Police additionally announced that all cars with licence plates such as KM (Kosovska-Mitrovica) would be seized if seen on the streets.[218] In response, on 26 December Serbia announced that it was going to stop applying stickers to Kosovar licence plates and starting on 1 January 2024, RKS registration cars would be allowed to enter Serbia freely. According to them, this was done to facilitate border crossing for Kosovo Serbs who had switched to RKS plates.[219] In response, the Kosovo government decided to stop applying stickers to cars with Serbian licence plates, in effect leading to both sides recognizing each-other's licence plates.[220]
2024
February
On February 1, Kosovo forbade the use of the
Serbian dinar as currency, requiring the ethnic-Serb minority in the north to adopt the
Euro. The move was criticized by the U.S. and E.U. since the Serb minority relies on financial assistance and social benefit payments from the government of Serbia.[221] Kosovo PM Kurti later clarified that the currency was not banned but that the Euro would be the only legal currency for commercial transactions and that there would be a months-long transition period to ease in the new legislation.[222]
Reactions
In early August,
Edi Rama, the
prime minister of Albania, commented on the tensions that occurred on 31 July and stated that Kosovo should join the
Open Balkan economic and political zone in order to avoid potential war;[223] this was later echoed by Hill.[224]Maria Zakharova, the spokeswoman of the
ministry of foreign affairs of Russia, accused Kosovo Albanians of escalating the conflict, while
Dmitry Peskov, the
Kremlin press secretary, stated that Russia demands that "all rights of Serbs to be respected".[225] Later in December, Peskov said that "Russia supports Belgrade in the actions that are being taken".[226]Richard Grenell, the special presidential envoy for Serbia and Kosovo Peace Negotiations under the administration of
Donald Trump, stated that he was disappointed with the progress of the negotiations.[227]
After the leak of the proposed agreement in late September 2022, Dušan Janjić from the Belgrade Forum for Ethnic Relations stated that the agreement is about "putting the dialogue exclusively on a political level", while Bodo Weber, a journalist and political analyst, stated that the agreement "might change the flow of the dialogue" but he also assessed that "Kosovo and Serbia are still far from a final agreement".[228]Milorad Dodik, the
president of Republika Srpska, stated that the
Republika Srpska, an entity of
Bosnia and Herzegovina, is "ready to help the Serbian people in Kosovo, even beyond its capacity".[229] Later in January 2023, Dodik praised Vučić regarding his role in the crisis and stated that "Serbia should never recognize Kosovo".[230] Weber described the mass resignation of Kosovo Serbs from Kosovo institutions as "the crisis as a consequence of the de facto absence of negotiations".[231] Konrad Clewing, an expert for the Leibniz Institute for Eastern and Southeastern European Research, stated that the mass resignation could create "huge consequences".[232]
After the announcement that Serbia would consider deploying 1,000 Serbian military forces to Kosovo, Deutsche Welle stated that the request to deploy is possible according to Resolution 1244, although observers noted that the deployment would be "futile because it would lead to a direct confrontation with the international police and military units stationed in Kosovo".[233]Radio Free Europe stated that according to the Resolution 1244, Serbian personnel could return and perform certain functions in Kosovo, although these functions only include connection with the international civilian mission and international security presence, clearing minefields, maintaining a presence at Serbian cultural heritage sites and at main border crossings.[131] Analysts also stated that the request would most likely be declined.[131][234]Boris Tadić, former president of Serbia, criticized the government of Serbia and stated that Petković and Brnabić "misled the public", while
Momir Stojanović, the former head of the
Military Security Agency, said that the return of Serbian forces to Kosovo is "impossible".[235][236] Rama described it as a "surreal move".[237] Janjić stated that "it is not illegal to consider doing this" but that "in this case it is not desirable", while
Ivo Visković, a diplomat and former professor at the
Faculty of Political Sciences at the
University of Belgrade, stated that "now is the time when diplomacy should work".[131][238] Additionally, the United States and Peter Stano, the spokesperson of the European Union, asked for de-escalation.[238][239]
In January 2023, politicians and political parties in Serbia voiced their reactions regarding the French-German proposal. Tadić claimed that the proposal would allow Kosovo to join the United Nations even if it is not explicitly mentioned in the proposal.[240] Narodna, Dveri,
National Democratic Alternative, and
Serbian Party Oathkeepers have called for the rejection of the proposal.[240][241] The
Party of Freedom and Justice,
Democratic Party, and
Do not let Belgrade drown have called for Vučić to reveal the content of the proposal to the public.[242][243] In Kosovo, publicist
Veton Surroi assessed that "these negotiations are the most serious since the
Ahtisaari Plan", while
Avdullah Hoti, the former prime minister of Kosovo, stated that "relations with the United States are of existential importance to Kosovo".[244][245]
In June 2023 the EU announced a number of "reversible" measures against Kosovo for its failure to restore peace and calm in North Kosovo.[246] Following the questionable role of the Serbian state in the September lethal attack by Serb gunmen, 12 countries have asked the EU to reverse the measures.[247]
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^Emmott, Robin; Sekularac, Ivana; Lewis, Simon (30 September 2021). Baum, Bernadette; Jones, Gareth; Gregorio, David (eds.).
"Kosovo, Serbia agree deal to end border tensions". Reuters.
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^Fićović, Maja; Cvetković, Sandra (5 October 2022).
"Predstavnici Srba sa severa Kosova izlaze iz institucija" [Representatives of Serbs from the north of Kosovo are leaving the institutions]. Radio Slobodna Evropa (in Serbian).
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