
Flash News
By Chris Massaro, Fox News
Secretary of State Antony Blinken faced criticism from a close ally as ethnic tensions flared again in the Balkans.
Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti hit back at Blinken, who had criticized the Kosovo government for "actions it took against the advice of the United States and Kosovo's European partners," Blinken said in a statement.
Kurti didn't shy away, and told The Guardian in an interview last week: "I think it's not just unfair, wrong and hurtful, but at the same time very naive." He also said that Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic received these comments well.
Kurt ignored Blinken's request to change course and refrain from actions that would inflame tensions. The prime minister said Kosovo police will remain in the northern region, a move the US believes will not help defuse the situation. In response, the US announced that it would cancel Kosovo's participation in future NATO military exercises.
Asked about Kurti's criticism, a State Department spokesman referred Fox News Digital to Blinken's comments in Norway on Thursday, where he said: "The escalation and the actions taken there take Kosovo and Serbia in the wrong direction, because the response what we ask for is de-escalation, avoiding any unilateral action and returning to this process of normalization and EU-led effort, this is what promises both of them a future of integration in the Euro-Atlantic community," said Blinken during the conference to press in Oslo.
Blinken said the US would oppose any action either country could take that would make EU integration a more distant prospect.
"We have been very clear in our concerns about some of the recent actions. We have told this directly to the leaders involved, including Prime Minister Kurti. We ask that both act responsibly from now on," Blinken added.
Even French President Emmanuel Macron directly blamed Kurti and Kosovo for the confrontation. With the rebuke of ally Kurti, the US has been accused by some diplomatic circles of siding with Vucic, who is a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“Unë nuk mendoj se deklaratat e fundit nga Shtetet e Bashkuara apo Franca nënkuptojnë domosdoshmërisht se ato janë në anën e Vuçiçit, por janë thjesht kritika ndaj vendimit të qeverisë Kurti për të futur kryetarët e komunave në zyrat e tyre dhe këmbëngulin se ata kanë legjitimitet për të qeverisur, duke e ditur shumë mirë se kjo kishte gjasa të ndezte tensione”, tha për Fox News Digital Helena Ivanov, partnere në Henry Jackson Society.
“Përgjithësisht, mendoj se Perëndimi vetëm dëshiron që gjërat të qëndrojnë të qeta dhe do të kritikojë çdo lëvizje që ka gjasa të ndezë tensione – prej nga vjen edhe toni kritik ndaj Kosovës”, shtoi ajo.
Duke u përballur me presionin në rritje nga evropianët, presidentët e Serbisë dhe Kosovës u takuan në Moldavi për të diskutuar mënyrat e uljes së tensioneve të enjten. Reuters raportoi se pas takimit të saj me Vuçiç, presidentja e Kosovës Vjosa Osmani e akuzoi atë se “qahet e ankohet dhe ... nuk thotë të vërtetën”.
Osmani, megjithatë, ofroi disa shpresa duke thënë se Kosova mund të mbajë zgjedhje të reja në veri me pjesëmarrjen e serbëve nëse ato do të nxiteshin ligjërisht. Vuçiç u largua pa komentuar për median.
Dhuna shpërtheu pasi kryetarët shqiptarë etnikë morën detyrën në veri të Kosovës, një enklavë me shumicë serbe, pas zgjedhjeve të prillit që u bojkotuan nga partitë politike serbe dhe mbështetësit e tyre. SHBA i kërkoi Kurtit të mos i zhvillonte zgjedhjet, nga frika se rezultati do të ishte i paligjshëm në sytë e serbëve vendas. Bojkoti rezultoi në një pjesëmarrje jashtëzakonisht të ulët prej 3.5%, duke bërë që shumë në Perëndim të pretendonin se zgjedhjet ishin vërtet të paligjshme.
Serbët u përpoqën të bllokonin kryetarët shqiptarë etnikë që të hynin në zyra dhe policia kosovare u përgjigj duke hedhur gaz lotsjellës, çka përshkallëzoi tensionet. Dhuna u shtua kur serbët u përleshën me policinë e Kosovës dhe trupat paqeruajtëse të NATO-s. Serbia, nga ana e saj, u përgjigj duke dërguar trupa në kufirin me Kosovën dhe i vendosi forcat e saj të armatosura në gatishmëri të lartë.
“NATO dënon fuqishëm sulmet e paprovokuara kundër trupave të KFOR-it në veri të Kosovës, të cilat çuan në plagosjen e një numri prej tyre. Sulme të tilla janë krejtësisht të papranueshme”, thuhet në një deklaratë nga një zëdhënës i NATO-s.
Njëmbëdhjetë ushtarë italianë dhe 19 trupa hungareze pësuan lëndime të shumta, “përfshirë fraktura dhe djegie nga mjetet ndezëse shpërthyese të improvizuara”. Tre ushtarë hungarezë u plagosën nga armët e zjarrit, sipas një deklarate të KFOR.
Kurti fajësoi Vuçiç për nxitjen e tensioneve dhe ndezjen e asaj që ai e quajti “turmë fashiste” që sulmoi forcat e NATO-s.
Dhuna e re është një tjetër pengesë në procesin e ndërmjetësuar nga BE për normalizimin e marrëdhënieve midis Serbisë dhe Kosovës, i cili ka vazhduar prej vitesh. BE e ka bërë të qartë se normalizimi i marrëdhënieve është një hap i domosdoshëm dhe i nevojshëm për anëtarësimin në bllok.
"Our message to both Belgrade and Pristina is that they should engage in good faith in the EU-facilitated dialogue," NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said at a press conference on Thursday. "This is the only path to peace, but at the same time, NATO has a responsibility to ensure stability in Kosovo and that is why we have been there for many years and why we are now increasing our presence in the region."
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