Belgrade To Continue Efforts To Resolve Issues In Kosovo Through Legal Means - Vucic

Muhammad Irfan Published December 11, 2022 | 07:50 PM

BELGRADE (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 11th December, 2022) Serbian President Alexandar Vucic pledged on Sunday that his country would continue efforts to settle the Kosovo issue using legal means and called on Pristina to create the Community of Serb Municipalities following a new flare-up of tensions in the breakaway region.

Earlier in the day, fighters of the special unit of Ministry of Internal Affairs (ROSU) of the self-proclaimed Republic of Kosovo reportedly seized a hydroelectric power plant facility at the Gazivoda Lake, located in predominantly Serb-populated Zubin Potok municipality.

"A message to others � create the (Community of Serb Municipalities), respect the rights and freedoms of Serbs and Serbia, act in accordance with the signed agreements and international law, this is the only way to begin the normalization of relations and life for all of us. We will continue to fight by all legal means for peace, a better life and the future of our children. Serbia will win," Vucic said on social media.

On Saturday, Kosovo Serbs erected barricades to block roads in the north of the partially-recognized region in protest of the arrest of former police officer Dejan Pantic by the Kosovo authorities.

He was detained on Saturday at the Jarinje border crossing on suspicion of "terrorism."

Vucic said that Belgrade would send a formal request to the KFOR mission command for permission to deploy the Serbian military and police in Kosovo. He also showed photos of Kosovar soldiers in heavy equipment and with automatic weapons in the north of the region near the border with Serbia. He recalled that, according to the agreements reached earlier, the permission of the heads of municipalities with a Serbian majority is required for the deployment of police special forces there.

At night, the protesters set up tents to guard the barricades. The Kosovar police, in turn, blocked the entry into the province for cars and pedestrians from central Serbia at the Jarinje checkpoint.

The leader of the Serb List political partly in Kosovo urged the residents to maintain peace and let EULEX and KFOR vehicles pass through the road barricades.