After two days of closure, shops in the north of Kosovo and Metohija were open today, Serbian national broadcaster RTS reports. As a sign of protest against 100 percent tariffs Pristina imposed on goods from central Serbia, all shops, restaurants, bakeries and petrol stations were closed for two days.

The situation in the Clinical Centre in Mitrovica North is concerning and there is a shortage of some medicaments, RTS added. Director of the Center Milan Ivanovic warned that the situation in the health system in the north of Kosovo is concerning and the efforts were made to normalize supply, which is difficult under current conditions. He expressed hope the situation would improve in the following days and the center would be able to function in a normal way.

Meanwhile Chair of the Businessmen Association in northern Kosovo Rados Petrovic said the agreement was reached to open the shops, pharmacies and restaurants today. Petrovic said this unified decision was made to show a good will.

KoSSev portal published the statement of the Association of Businessmen on its portal. The statement said as follows:

“The warning protest showed the strength, unity and willingness of the Serbs from the north of Kosovo and Metohija to fight. We showed strength, unity. We showed that they cannot break us and that we will not allow that those supplying basic products are shot at and attacked.

Every next attempt by Pristina will be met with an even stronger answer. Since this is a warning protest, the shops in the north – which will start working today – will be closed for much longer the next time we are shot at because we are transporting milk, flour, oil or newspapers in the Serbian language for the Serb people in the north of Kosovo and Metohija.

We are aware that a long struggle awaits us, which requires unity, effort, perhaps sacrifice… We do not have another country and we will not surrender our country to anyone…

We appeal to the international community to finally understand the dramatic situation here in the north and to react in order to pacify Pristina, before an incident occurs that could bring things to a point of no return.“