On Tuesday 16 January, High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini and European Commissioner for Enlargement Negotiations Johannes Hahn called for calm in the Balkans, strongly condemning the shooting dead of Serbian politician Oliver Ivanović in north Mitrovica, Kosovo, earlier in the day.
Hahn stated that "all the actors must now remain calm, act responsibly and allow the judicial authorities to investigate thoroughly and bring the perpetrators to justice".
Mogherini spoke similarly, calling on all parties to "show calm and restraint" and "enable (...) justice to follow its course".
According to a press release from the European External Action Service, following the murder of Ivanović, Mogherini spoke on the phone to the presidents of Kosovo, Hashim Thaçi, and of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, underlining the EU's "expectation that the relevant Kosovo rule of law authorities spare no effort to find the perpetrators and bring them to justice without delay". "The European Union's rule of law mission, EULEX, will support the authorities in accordance with its mandate", the press release added.
The discussions as part of the dialogue between Serbia and Kosovo, which were planned in Brussels on 16 January, were cancelled following the announcement of the killing, with the Serbian delegation being called urgently to Belgrade. "The dialogue for the harmonisation of relations was supposed to have begun at working group level this morning (Tuesday) for three days. Due to this deplorable murder, the dialogue (...) has been suspended", EEAS spokesperson Maja Kocijancic told journalists, including EUROPE. She also said she was not able to say when the dialogue would resume. "There is no alternative to the dialogue which must continue as soon as possible", Hahn said.
Known for being a moderate politician, independent of the successive Serbian governments, Ivanović played an important role in the negotiations with the EU and NATO after the Kosovar war in 1998-99. Sentenced in 2016 to nine years in prison for his involvement in the murders of Albanians during the war, he had his verdict overturned in 2017 and a new trial ordered. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)