Konstantin Kosachov has assessed as “really dangerous” the situation in which “Pristina’s authorities deteriorate relations with neighbours,” Tanjug news agency reported.
President of the Russian Federation Council Committee for International Affairs, Kosachov noted Russia could provide help to Serbia in ensuring the security, if it gets Belgrade’s request.
Head of the EU Delegation to Serbia, Sem Fabrizi said it is not accurate that the EU did not react regarding police action in the northern Kosovo on Thursday, adding everything that happened is yet another evidence the dialogue is the only way to resolve the problems, Tanjug news agency reported.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in Slovenia today the crisis in Kosovo and Metohija was caused by the West's leniency towards Pristina.
According to Sputnik, in conversation with his Slovenian counterpart, Lavrov said that the crisis was caused by those who want to build "a sanitary cordon toward Russia out of the territory of the Balkans" (for the sake of incorporating it all into NATO).
According to him, the fact that Pristina does is not implementing agreements that have been reached earlier shows that the EU is helpless.
Head of the Delegation of the European Union to Serbia Sem Fabrizi delivered today to Prime Minister Ana Brnabic the Annual Report of the European Commission on the Republic of Serbia.
At a press conference held in the Serbian government, Brnabic assessed that the Report is basically positive because it recognizes the progress in some areas, primarily in the economy, but expressed the expectation that in the future there will be no political assessment of progress towards the EU in some important areas.
Pristina did not make the decision to move into action in the north of Kosovo on its own, Milovan Drecun and Nebojsa Covic opined, B92 writes referring to Sputnik portal report.
Chairperson of the Serbian National Assembly Committee for Kosovo, Drecun and former head of the Coordination Centre for Kosovo and Metohija, Covic expect similar incidents would happen again.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said the situation of the Serbian people in Kosovo and Metohija is more difficult today than yesterday, adding KFOR military mission is not neutral at all, Tanjug news agency reports.
Asked to comment on KFOR’s spokesperson Vincenzo Grasso statement that the biggest threat to the peace in Kosovo are the rhetoric of politicians and misuse of the media, as well as “that everybody was informed in advance” about yesterday’s police action, President Vucic urged KFOR to publicly state that fact – whom they have informed.
Serb representatives from the north and Office for Kosovo and Metohija, in a special TV Most broadcast last night, said the latest brutal Pristina’s action will not expel the Serbs from Kosovo, B92 reports.
Mayor of Mitrovica North Goran Rakic said that “in addition to the terror conducted by the Albanians, shooting in the back by some Serbian opposition leaders is painful.” He added Pristina’s response to any call for peace from Belgrade is “a brutal action and terror against barehanded population.”
Opposition Alliance for Serbia (SzS) said the latest events in Kosovo and Metohija are the result of President Aleksandar Vucic failed policy, adding it in many aspects resemble a joint direction of Haradinaj and Vucic that would bring good neither to Serbian nor Albanian people, Danas daily reports.
“While “his businessmen” applaud him loudly from the balcony of Republic of Serbia National Assembly, in the north of Kosovo Vucic and his coalition partners Ramush Haradinaj and Hashim Thaci push Kosovo police against the Serbian people,” SzS said in a press statement.
According to Belgrade based daily Danas, Serbia is expected to have "very negative assessment" of the state of democracy.
Some diplomats told Danas that "very negative reviews" will be found in the segment relating to the "state of democracy," referring to the European Commission's Progress Report on Serbia's progress towards EU membership, to be presented at today's extraordinary meeting of the Foreign Affairs Committee European Parliament in Brussels.
Belgrade-based daily Blic reports that Serbian Foreign Affairs Minister Ivica Dacic said today that he reported to the foreign ministers of the Visegrad Group and the Western Balkans at a meeting in Bratislava that Serbia was concerned about the situation in Kosovo and that it is firmly resolved to protect its people.