The Serbian government Office for Kosovo said on Wednesday that its chief Marko Djuric had been banned from entering Kosovo but the local police denied that claim.

The Beta news agency was told by the Office that Pristina had banned Djuric from entering Kosovo but Ranking police official Besim Hoti denied that claim saying that Djuric had permission for the visit and decided not to enter Kosovo.

“He was not banned from entering, he had permission to enter Kosovo, but he had his own reasons to turn back,” Hoti said.

The Office for Kosovo said that he was not allowed to cross into Kosovo at 03:00 pm even though his visit was announced earlier and quoted Djuric as saying that the ban was scandalous and ran counter to agreements and freedom of movement.