The slaying of Kosovo Serb politician Oliver Ivanovic on Tuesday put a spotlight on new tensions in the Balkans, years after a violent conflict divided the region. Considered a moderate politician, Ivanovic was reportedly shot several times near his office in Mitrovica, a Serb-run city in northern Kosovo.
His death had immediate repercussions, as political talks in Brussels between Kosovo Albanians and the Serbian government were interrupted. Almost 20 years after the Muslim-majority state broke with Serbia and nearly a decade after it declared independence, strain between the two has again intensified and could be further fueled by Tuesday’s suspected murder.
Why is Ivanovic’s suspected murder so far-reaching?
“He was a voice of moderation and a voice of dialogue,” said William Nash, a former U.N. civilian administrator in Mitrovica who worked closely with Ivanovic shortly after Serbia withdrew its troops from the region. Nash described Ivanovic as a personal friend. “I was there for about eight months. And throughout that time, Oliver was smart and articulate, but also pragmatic,” Nash said in a phone interview.
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