Kosovar delegation stopped at the border, analysts demand reciprocity and an EU reaction

Serbian authorities on Friday did not allow entry into Preševo to the head of the Parliamentary Group of the Vetëvendosje Movement, Arbërie Nagavci, MPs Fatmire Kollçaku and Liza Gashi, and the prime minister’s political advisor, Ragmi Mustafi.

Nagavci made known that the delegation was traveling to Preševo to express condolences to the mayor of this municipality, Ardita Sinani, following the death of her father.

According to her, Serbian police stopped them at the border crossing and held them for more than two hours without giving any reason. After this wait, the delegation was informed that it could not continue its journey and had to turn back.

Nagavci emphasized that the visit was private, humanitarian, and without any political agenda, and therefore she has described the decision of the Serbian authorities as unacceptable.

She declared that, together with Fatmire Kollçaku, Liza Gashi, and Ragmi Mustafi, she had set out for Preševo to express condolences to Ardita Sinani. According to her, “Vučić’s government,” through the police, stopped them at the border and after more than two hours without explanation ordered them to turn back. Nagavci said that even a case of mourning was treated politically and that, due to the stoppage, condolences were conveyed near the border, where Sinani went along with her family members to meet them.

The head of the Vetëvendosje parliamentary group has called this action unjustifiable and has made known that the case will be conveyed to the competent authorities and the institutions of the European Union.

Albanian analysts in Preševo have condemned the stoppage, considering it ugly and unfounded. They demand that the issue of mutual visits between Kosovo and Serbia be regulated by the principle of reciprocity, just as the license plates issue was resolved.

Analyst Refik Hasani said that this is not the first time Serbia has prevented the entry of representatives of Kosovo’s institutions.

According to him, such a practice conflicts with the principle of reciprocity, since representatives of the legislature, the executive, the Serbian Orthodox Church, and the Serbian Academy continue to visit Kosovo. Hasani assesses that if Kosovo officials are prevented from entering Preševo, Medveđa, Bujanovac, the Sandžak, or other parts of Serbia, then the same measure should also be applied to Serbian representatives visiting Kosovo.

“Bota sot” reports that Hasani sees this stance as incompatible with the principles of reciprocity, especially at a time when talks are being held in Brussels and agreements exist under the presence and monitoring of international observers. According to him, if Serbia prevents the visits of Kosovo’s institutional leaders, Kosovo should also refuse visits from Serbia.

Hasani believes that Aleksandar Vučić’s government is using border control for political purposes. He also links this to the fierce electoral campaign in Serbia for the elections to be held on October 25 of this month.

The analyst demands that the movement of representatives of the two countries be regulated in the same way as the vehicle license plates issue and the non-acceptance of the dinar currency in Kosovo’s financial market. According to him, only equal and reciprocal treatment of Kosovo and Serbia can create the conditions for the normalization of relations.

Hasani has called on the European Union to take a fair stance and not to use double standards for the visits of Serbian officials to Kosovo and those of Kosovo officials to Serbia.

He raised the question of why, if Kosovo allows visits by ministers, the prime minister, the president, parliamentary committees, and representatives of the Serbian Orthodox Church from Serbia, Serbia does not allow the Albanians of Preševo, Medveđa, and Bujanovac to be visited by the highest leaders of Kosovo’s institutions. According to him, this is an issue that should be addressed to the European Union.

Analyst Nehat Hyseni has described the stoppage as a serious and unacceptable incident.

In a statement to “Bota sot,” Hyseni declared that the stoppage of Arbërie Nagavci, Fatmire Kollçaku, Liza Gashi, and Ragmi Mustafi by Serbian border authorities on October 9, 2026, while traveling to Preševo to express condolences to Ardita Sinani for the death of her father, has clear political significance.

He said that the delegation was held for more than two hours at the Depcë border crossing, without receiving a clear explanation, and was subsequently informed that it could not continue on its way. For this reason, condolences were conveyed near the border, where Ardita Sinani went with her family members to meet them.

According to Hyseni, the action of the Serbian authorities is ugly and unjustifiable, especially since it concerned a humanitarian visit at a moment of family mourning. He assesses that the lack of respect for such a case raises questions about the implementation of freedom of movement and equal treatment.

Hyseni clarified that Serbia has the right to control its borders and enforce national laws, but border control cannot be used arbitrarily by the administrative authorities. According to him, any restriction of freedom of movement must be based on a clear legal basis, accompanied by understandable reasoning, and be contestable through the relevant procedures.

He links this situation to Serbia’s stance toward the European Union, saying that Belgrade does not take the EU seriously enough and tries to simultaneously align with Russia, the European Union, and the United States of America, especially in recent times.

TAGS: kosovo, delegation, kosova, presheva