Frequent thefts of properties in Serb areas over the last couple of months fully stopped return process, and also induce pressure on remaining Serbs to move out from areas affected by such incidents, outgoing Kosovo Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Communities and Returns Dalibor Jevtic said, Serbian media reported.

Following the latest robberies in the villages of Babin Most and Milosevo, Jevtic emphasised that affected families started rarely to report cases to the police, since they have lost hope perpetrators would be brought in and punished adequately.

Jevtic urged Kosovo police and judiciary to more actively and decisively work on preventing this and similar activities of groups or individuals. In addition to causing unease among Serbs, this and similar incidents cause great damage to the return process as well as to remain of non-majority communities in Kosovo, Jevtic said.

He also appealed to the international community whose job is to establish the rule of law in Kosovo to make stronger efforts in order for robberies of the Serb properties in Kosovo to stop, Serbian media reported.