The High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, condemned, on Sunday 24 September, the “terrorist” attack perpetrated by “an armed gang” against Kosovo police officers on patrol in Banjska, in the north of the country, near the border between Kosovo and Serbia. During this attack, a Kosovar policeman lost his life and two others were injured. Gunfire then broke out between the attackers, who were holed up in an Orthodox monastery, and the police. Three members of the armed group were killed.
“All the facts relating to this attack must be established. Those responsible must be brought to justice. (...) These attacks must stop immediately”, said Mr Borrell in a press release. Following the attack, the High Representative spoke by telephone with the Kosovar Prime Minister and the Serbian President.
Kosovo’s Prime Minister, Albin Kurti, accused Belgrade of being behind the deadly attack, while the Serbian government was quick to deny the facts, blaming Mr Kurti and his “provocations” against the Serbs.
This event has rekindled already extremely high tensions between the two countries (see EUROPE 13230/19) and dealt a further blow to attempts to implement the agreement on normalising relations between the two countries.
Mr Kurti and Mr Vučić met in Brussels on 14 September as part of the Serbia/Kosovo dialogue. No progress had been made. The Kosovar Prime Minister claimed that the emphasis should be on the political aspects of normalisation, and the Serbian President said that the priority remained, above all, the establishment of the Association of Serbian Municipalities in Kosovo (see EUROPE 13251/4). (Original version in French by Thomas Mangin)