Serbian Official Denounces Radicalism in Kosovo

Kosovo’s flag. Wikimedia Commons.

In a heated reaction to an attack on October 22 by unidentified assailants on a bus full of Serbian pilgrims near Istok in Kosovo, the head of Serbia’s Kosovo office called religious extremism in Kosovo a “plague that knows no borders and could threaten European capitals tomorrow.”

None of the 170 passengers were injured after bullets were fired and stones thrown at their vehicle bound for ruins near Studenica, but the event drew sharp condemnation from both sides. Kosovar Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj called it unacceptable in a republic committed to peace and stability, adding that, “any attack on citizens is an attack on shared European values.”

Both countries have been vying for membership in the European Union, which would mean entry into a huge market as well as access to financial credit and development funds. Since becoming a member in 2013, Croatia has seen exports balloon by 56 percent. Slovenia, another former-Yugoslav country, saw €3.87 billion ($4.4 billion) in investment from the European Structural Investment Fund between 2004 and 2013.

However, the EU wants the two countries to set aside their differences first, as French President Emmanuel Macron said while meeting the Serbian head of state. Kosovo is an ethnically Albanian, only partially recognized state that declared independence from Serbia in 2008 after a nearly three-decade struggle that claimed 13,000 lives.

Serbia refused to recognize the act but has not had control over the region since its army was forced to pull out after a 78-day NATO bombing campaign in 1999. Tensions between the two countries have been high ever since. Russia, an ally of Serbia, vetoed recognition for Kosovo in the UN and has stopped Kosovo from entering the international body.

The prospect of European integration, which Bloomberg called “the world’s most effective peace machine” has made the foes set aside some of their differences. Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić has asked for immediate membership in exchange for a deal on Kosovo. EU-mediated talks since 2011 remain slow and incredibly contentious.

In September, to the dismay of European politicians, leaders of the two countries called for border adjustments to better reflect ethnic lines. Both the German and Austrian foreign ministers are wary of drawing lines that could spark further violence against any new minorities that would be created. That same month, Kosovo’s government moved to create a regular standing army.

The motives of the assailants in the October 22 bus incident are still unknown. Furthermore, it has not yet been determined whether an understanding between Serbia and Kosovo will be reached or what this would mean for the Balkans.