• Merdare crossing closed; Serbs erect barricades on Serbian side (media)
• Osmani condemns attacks on reporters in north of Kosovo (media)
• Ministry refutes reports that KSF vehicles moved toward Mitrovica (Nacionale)
• Kosovan minister says Serbia aims to destabilize the country (Reuters)
• Why ethnic tensions are flaring again in northern Kosovo (Reuters)
• Serbia troops on ‘highest level of alert’ as tensions rise (The Guardian)
• COMKFOR: We support dialogue to find solution and ease tensions (TV21)
• Switzerland calls for refrain from actions that can inflame the situation (media)
• Xhacka to Serbia: Playing with fire is a bad idea; we stand with Kosovo (media)
• Council of Ambassadors sends letter to Biden and Quint (Klan Kosova)
• Mujanovic: I’ve received copy of Kosovo govt report sent to West (Nacionale)

Merdare crossing closed; Serbs erect barricades on Serbian side (media)

All media report that the Merdare crossing has been closed after barricades have been erected on the Serbian side. Kosovo’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs called on everyone travelling to Kosovo through Serbia to avoid the Merdare crossing. The Ministry said in a statement that “Serb criminal groups have blocked the border crossing point in Merdare”. “All citizens that are travelling are advised to use other border crossing until further notice by the institutions of the Republic of Kosovo,” the statement notes.

Klan Kosova quotes an Albanian as saying that shock bombs were thrown and that Serbs blocked the road in the presence of Serbian Police.

Osmani condemns attacks on reporters in north of Kosovo (media)

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani took to Twitter on Tuesday to condemn attacks on reporters in the north of Kosovo. “Attacks on journalists reporting from the north of Kosovo, by criminal gangs supported by Vucic, show Belgrade’s true intentions to hide the truth. Serbia’s leadership may have changed since the 90s, but their intentions haven’t. They will fail. Democracy & rule of law will prevail,” Osmani tweeted.

Ministry refutes reports that KSF vehicles moved toward Mitrovica (Nacionale)

Kosovo’s Ministry of Defence refuted reports in some media according to which vehicles of the Kosovo Security Force (KSF) moved toward the north of Kosovo on Tuesday. A spokeswoman for the Ministry of Defence told Nacionale that the reports are not true. “No, the reports are not true. The Kosovo Security Force continues to carry out its daily activities and its constitutional mission,” the spokeswoman said, adding that the situation in the north is under control of the Kosovo Police and KFOR

Kosovan minister says Serbia aims to destabilize the country (Reuters)

Kosovo Interior Minister Xhelal Svecla on Tuesday said Serbia, under the influence of Russia, was aiming to destabilise Kosovo by supporting the Serb minority in the north who have been blocking roads and protesting for almost three weeks.

Serbs in the ethnically divided city of Mitrovica in northern Kosovo erected new barricades on Tuesday, hours after Serbia said it had put its army on the highest combat alert following weeks of escalating tensions between Belgrade and Pristina.

“It is precisely Serbia, influenced by Russia, that has raised a state of military readiness and that is ordering the erection of new barricades, in order to justify and protect the criminal groups that terrorize… citizens of Serb ethnicity living in Kosovo,” Svecla said in a statement.

Read more at: https://reut.rs/3G0uyfa

Why ethnic tensions are flaring again in northern Kosovo (Reuters)

Protesting Serbs in the ethnically divided city of Mitrovica in northern Kosovo erected new barricades on Tuesday, hours after Serbia said it had put its army on the highest combat alert following weeks of escalating tensions between Belgrade and Pristina. Serbia’s defence ministry said that given the latest events in the region and Belgrade’s belief that Kosovo was preparing to attack Serbs and forcefully remove the barricades, President Aleksandar Vucic had ordered Serbia’s army and police to be put on the highest alert. Here are some facts about the standoff.

Read more at: https://reut.rs/3WK8EDy

Serbia troops on ‘highest level of alert’ as tensions rise (The Guardian)

Serbia has placed its security troops on the border with Kosovo on ‘the full state of combat readiness’, highlighting the Balkan country’s increasingly strained relations with neighbouring Kosovo over recent shootings and blockades. The latest escalations come after a controversial decision to ban Serbs living in Kosovo from using Belgrade-issued licence plates. The policy was eventually scrapped by Pristina, but nonetheless led to hundreds of ethnic Serb workers in Kosovo’s police and judiciary walking off the job, creating a security vacuum in Kosovo. The Nato-led peacekeeping force KFOR has reported an increase of shootings in the area.

See more at: https://bit.ly/3jB4JuJ

COMKFOR: We support dialogue to find solution and ease tensions (TV21)

Commander of KFOR peacekeeping troops, Major General Angelo Michele Ristuccia, said in a statement to TV21 on Tuesday that KFOR supports dialogue for reaching an agreement and decreasing tensions in the north of Kosovo. Ristuccia said it was important for all parties to avoid any rhetoric or action that might cause tensions or escalate the situation. He also said KFOR expects all parties to refrain from provocative demonstrations of force in the north and to seek the best solution to ensure the safety and security of all communities.

Switzerland calls for refrain from actions that can inflame the situation (media)

The Swiss Ministry of Foreign Affairs called on “all parties involved parties involved to refrain from rhetoric or actions that can further inflame the situation. KFOR and EULEX are key to maintaining order and safety of local communities in north Kosovo.”

Xhacka to Serbia: Playing with fire is a bad idea; we stand with Kosovo (media)

Albania’s Foreign Minister, Olta Xhacka, express concern on Tuesday over escalating tensions and the prolonged crisis, which she called artificial, in the north of Kosovo.

Xhacka called on Serbian authorities to remove the barricades and not justify the barricades or the criminal groups. “We stand with Kosovo in this difficult situation, and we call on Serbian authorities not to justify the barricades or the criminal groups that refuse to remove them. Playing with fire is a very bad idea for the future of all our children,” she said.

“Now is the time for dialogue and cooperation. this dangerous confrontation needs to end, and the authors must be brought to justice.” she said.

Council of Ambassadors sends letter to Biden and Quint (Klan Kosova)

Director of affairs in the Region and Diaspora in the Board of Directors of the Council of Ambassadors, Flamur Gashi, said they have sent a letter to U.S. President Joe Biden about the latest situation in Kosovo. He said that after a working visit to Kosovo, where they met high-ranking officials, they gathered facts and information related to the situation in the north of Kosovo. “We deemed it is high time to send a letter to U.S. President Joe Biden and to Secretary Blinken,” he said. “Today we will also send a letter with even more comprehensive data to the highest representatives of the QUINT and to other EU member states”.

Mujanovic: I’ve received copy of Kosovo govt report sent to West (Nacionale)

The news website reports that Jasmin Mujanovic, political scients, said in a Twitter post on Tuesday that he received a copy of a report that the Kosovo government sent to all Western governments. “I’ve received a copy of a detailed report published by the Kosovo govt, sent to all relevant Western govts, concerning Serbia’s “attempts to incite violence” in that country, following similar clandestine operations in Montenegro and Bosnia by Belgrade. A remarkable démarche,” Mujanovic tweeted.

See at: https://bit.ly/3WrHuBv