While the world is focused on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, rising tensions are threatening to ignite another conflict on the European Union’s doorstep.
Acrimony between Serbia and Kosovo, the site of the continent’s last major war, has escalated to one of the most extreme levels since fighting in the Balkans ended in 1999.
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Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti is asserting his country’s right to sovereignty by demanding that Serbs who have remained in the mostly ethnic-Albanian state after it declared independence adhere to its laws.
Serbia and its allies Russia and China refuse to acknowledge Kosovo on the world stage, blocking both from their goal of joining the EU.
The push by Kurti, at a time when the EU, NATO and Russia are preoccupied with the war in Ukraine, upsets the delicate standoff. Kosovar Serbs reacted to one measure demanding they swap their ID cards and license plates by erecting barricades near the border, an echo of protests that preceded the start of the Serbia-Croatia war in the 1990s.
On the other side is Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, who has faced past accusations of fanning ethnic tensions. But last month he convinced his fellow Serbs to dismantle the roadblocks.
Under pressure from US and European envoys, he took another step this week, saying his country should consider an EU proposal to normalize ties with Kosovo.
That may provide a way to resolve one of Europe’s most intractable geopolitical headaches and free the region to finally integrate with the EU. But Kurti and Vucic face opposition to giving ground at home, and each has red lines the other has rejected.
While a compromise may yet be possible, the coming weeks and months could also see the sides drawing deeper lines in the sand. — Andrea Dudik