Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić has announced that he will send a letter to NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, asking him to prevent the main bridge over the Ibar River in Mitrovica from being opened to traffic.

Vučić claims that the process is moving forward without North Mitrovica Mayor Milan Radojević being informed. He told Serbian media on Tuesday that he might send the letter that same day or the following day, expressing hope that Rutte would accept his request.

“This is being done by that Turk, the KFOR commander. I will write to Mark Rutte today. I hope he will respond and accept my request that this not be done. For me, this is a great disgrace and disappointment. It shows the nervousness that has gripped them because they do not know how to force Serbia to accept an independent Kosovo,” Vučić said.

Analyst Gani Mehmeti described the Serbian president’s reaction as “commanding,” saying that Vučić is not simply voicing objections to the bridge but is also attempting to dictate NATO command’s position.

Mehmeti says the Serbian president opposes the enforcement of the law and the expansion of the institutions of the Republic of Kosovo into the north. According to him, following the start of the bridge’s gradual opening and the involvement of the Kosovo Police, Vučić is attempting to address the NATO secretary general directly because he does not consider communication with the KFOR commander sufficient.

“Since 2000, when dozens of Albanians were killed in Mitrovica and expelled as part of ethnic cleansing with KFOR’s assistance, Vučić and others have not spoken out about the reasons for the persecution of Albanians. On the contrary, they supported, according to him, the massacre and expulsion of Albanians from northern Kosovo because they were seeking control of the underground mineral wealth in this area,” Mehmeti told “Bota sot.”

He added that the situation changed after Serbian criminal gangs were eliminated and Kosovo’s laws began to be enforced in the north. Mehmeti claims that Vučić is now unable to exert influence even through the Serb List and is therefore trying to present himself as an authority who can issue orders to NATO representatives.

According to the analyst, the Serbian president opposes traffic across the Ibar Bridge because he wants northern Kosovo to remain separated from the rest of the country, with the aim of one day annexing it to Serbia. Mehmeti stressed that bridges should connect people and places and that there should be no border at that location.

He also criticized KFOR’s past role, claiming that after Albanians were expelled from the north and prevented from returning to their ancestral lands of thousands of years, the division of Mitrovica was also enabled to accommodate Serbian demands. Mehmeti asked why no other Kosovo city, such as Pristina, Prizren or Peja, was divided, arguing that these cities did not have a Serbian presence that would have prompted such a demand.

Mehmeti accused Vučić of treating the KFOR commander with contempt and interfering in Kosovo’s internal affairs. He recalled that, if he was not mistaken, the decision to open the bridge was made around 2016, but its implementation was obstructed by Serbian criminal structures.

“Vučić, be sensible, recognize the Republic of Kosovo, and let us live as neighbors. Everyone should mind their own affairs without interfering in each other’s matters,” Mehmeti concluded in his statement to “Bota sot,” stressing that Serbia is seeking foreign land, while Albanians are claiming their own land.

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Volodymyr Zelensky has confirmed that Ukraine’s position on Kosovo remains unchanged. The Ukrainian president made the statement during his visit to Belgrade, where he held a meeting with his Serbian counterpart, Aleksandar Vučić.

Speaking alongside Vučić, Zelensky reiterated Kyiv’s position, declaring that Ukraine will not recognize Kosovo’s independence.

Albania’s Foreign Ministry responded to the statement. According to the ministry, Pristina’s situation cannot be equated with that of Kyiv, while Kosovo’s case must be assessed based on its own historical, political and legal circumstances.

The ministry described President Zelensky’s visit to Serbia as important, emphasizing that dialogue is always welcome, particularly when it creates opportunities for difficult issues to be addressed with clarity, responsibility and sensitivity.

The response states that Albania has supported and will continue to strongly support Ukraine’s sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity and European perspective. In the same way, our country firmly supports Kosovo’s sovereignty and independence, as well as its rightful place in the Euro-Atlantic family.

The ministry stresses that there should be no ambiguity on this issue. Any attempt to compare Kosovo or place it in the same equation as another international situation is described as wrong, opportunistic and deeply misleading.

According to the official position, the issue of Kosovo is grounded in its own distinct historical, political and legal foundations. At the request of the UN General Assembly, the International Court of Justice clearly determined that Kosovo’s declaration of independence did not constitute a violation of international law.

The response explains that Russia’s aggression against Ukraine represents an entirely different case. It constitutes a serious violation of the UN Charter and international law, as well as a flagrant breach of the rules-based international order.

From Albania’s perspective, a peaceful, stable and European Western Balkans can be built only by accepting the reality and irreversibility of Kosovo’s independence. This independence has contributed to regional stability and is part of a future in which borders are not changed by force, while peoples and communities have the opportunity to determine their future in peace and security.

The ministry also reaffirms its conviction that Serbia and Kosovo should be part of the same European future.

The normalization of relations between them, which would ultimately lead to mutual recognition, would not weaken Serbia. On the contrary, such a development would help close one of the most painful chapters in the region’s recent history and pave the way for genuine reconciliation, good-neighborly relations and lasting peace.

According to the response, the Western Balkans needs this positive energy today, perhaps more than at any other time.

President Zelensky’s visit to Serbia primarily serves Ukraine’s interests, which is described as understandable and legitimate. Likewise, any action that helps Serbia distance itself further from Russia’s malign influence and move closer to Europe is viewed positively.

However, the ministry stresses that every engagement must also be used to reinforce one essential understanding: the Western Balkans must move toward the future and not turn back.

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Two individuals have been handcuffed by the Kosovo Special Prosecution and placed under a 48-hour detention order, suspected of committing war crimes against civilians.

According to the official announcement, suspects M.J. and M.B. are accused of perpetrating violence against the civilian population in the Mitrovica region during the 1999 conflict.

The prosecution stressed that investigations are ongoing and, for the sake of protecting the criminal proceedings, no further details will be released at this stage.

On the other hand, the Serbian List – the main political formation of Serbs in Kosovo, which enjoys Belgrade’s support – described the war crime charges as an instrument of pressure against their community rather than a genuine pursuit of justice.

The party considered the arrests as part of a continuous campaign of intimidation by Kosovo authorities, directed by acting Prime Minister Albin Kurti.

The Office for Kosovo in the Government of Serbia also reacted sharply, labeling the detention carried out in Zubin Potok as an act of terrorism, revenge, and threats against Serbs.

During the 1998-1999 war in Kosovo, more than 13,000 civilians lost their lives and thousands more went missing.

The search is still ongoing for around 1,600 people who have not been found, the vast majority of whom are Albanians.

Kosovo’s institutions have recently intensified arrests and the filing of indictments for war crimes.

Investigations into these crimes were initially conducted by the United Nations Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) during the 2000-2008 period, later transferring to EULEX, the European Union’s rule-of-law mission.

In 2018, EULEX handed over the war crimes case files to Kosovo’s local judicial system.

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The statement by Serbia’s Minister of Public Administration and Local Self-Government, Snezhana Paunović, that if she had been in the position of former Serbian President Slobodan Milošević in 1998, she would have “ethnically cleansed Kosovo,” has been strongly condemned by the European Union.

Her remarks prompted numerous reactions, as they were seen as a justification of rhetoric advocating ethnic cleansing and as a statement contrary to the principles on which the European Union is founded.

Responding to the issue, European Commission spokesperson Anitta Hipper said that the EU does not comment on individual remarks by political officials. Nevertheless, she made it clear that there can be no room in Europe for language that justifies, incites or glorifies ethnic cleansing. Hipper also reaffirmed the European Union’s commitment to human rights, peace and reconciliation in the region.

The Serbian minister made the statement at a time when relations between Kosovo and Serbia remain fragile. The European Union continues to call on both sides to refrain from inflammatory language and actions that could heighten tensions or undermine the process of normalizing relations.

It should also be recalled that Kosovo has declared the Serbian minister “persona non grata.”

Activist Agim Aliçkaj spoke to “Bota sot” about the issue. According to him, Paunović’s statement about the ethnic cleansing of Kosovo is not an isolated case, but reflects the continuation of historic Serbian policies that, he claims, have sought to expel and eradicate Albanians from their lands.

Aliçkaj said that Minister Paunović’s position on ethnically cleansing Kosovo of Albanians is neither new nor surprising. He described it as a continuation of the centuries-old efforts of a chauvinistic, racist and hegemonic Serbian policy aimed at eradicating Albanians.

According to him, there have been numerous projects to eliminate Albanians and seize their lands for the Serbs. He listed the 1844 Načertanije, Čubrilović’s 1937 memorandum titled “The Expulsion of the Albanians,” the 1986 Memorandum of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts (SANU), and Operation “Horseshoe” of 1998–1999, organized by the regime of war criminal Slobodan Milošević.

The activist said that Čubrilović had presented in detail the methods and means of implementing what he called Serbia’s inhumane plans. Aliçkaj recalled his assertion that “the existence of the Serbian nation depends on the nonexistence of the Albanian nation.” He added that all these plans, in his view, were the joint product of state regimes, the Serbian Academy of Sciences and the Serbian Orthodox Church.

Aliçkaj went on to say that Serbia’s plans for genocide in Kosovo failed thanks to Albanian resistance, the KLA’s war and NATO’s intervention. Nevertheless, according to him, the ideology of hatred toward Albanians remains present in Serbia, partly because no “denazification” process took place after the war.

He said that the Albanian people’s heroic, centuries-long resistance, waged in various forms, culminated in the KLA’s war of liberation and NATO’s bombing of Serbia in 1999. For this reason, he said, Serbia’s genocide against Albanians ultimately failed, and did so shamefully. Nevertheless, Aliçkaj said Serbia’s futile aspirations continue, as demonstrated by Minister Paunović’s latest statement.

According to the activist, a significant portion of the Serbian people, even after the bombing and the loss of four brutal wars, has still not broken free from the myths and deceptions of a political class he described as sick. He said this class continues to rule by inciting hatred toward Albanians and other peoples of the Balkans.

Aliçkaj described the failure of Western countries to undertake the “denazification” of Serbian society following Serbia’s military defeat, freeing it from hatred toward other nations and from what he called the dead myths of the Middle Ages, as a major mistake.

He further criticized the approach of the European Union and the United States toward Serbia, saying they are pursuing a lenient policy and taking no concrete action over its statements and conduct. At the same time, according to Aliçkaj, Kosovo is being subjected to unfair pressure, amounting to a double standard.

The activist said that the European Community and the United States are continuing what he called the mistaken and failed policy of appeasing the Serbian regime. He stressed that this regime is led by Aleksandar Vučić, an associate of Milošević, while this approach, in his view, is motivated by illusory geostrategic interests aimed at drawing Serbia away from Russian influence. Aliçkaj added that the Serbian regime is exploiting this situation without restraint or mercy.

As evidence, he cited what he described as the weak and unserious response by European Commission spokesperson Anitta Hipper, as well as the positions of many representatives of Western countries. According to him, the only exceptions are a few lawmakers or thinkers with strong humanitarian principles, while concrete punitive action over Minister Paunović’s inhumane statement is entirely absent.

Aliçkaj claimed that no concrete punitive measures have been taken against Serbia over the terrorist acts in Banjska and Ujman, its refusal to sign the Brussels agreement, and its destabilization of Kosovo and the Balkans. On the other hand, he said, Kosovo is being asked to make further concessions to Serbia through unfair pressure, including sanctions against Kosovo for enforcing the law in the north. He called this double standard shocking.

In conclusion, the activist said that reactions from Albania, part of the Albanian political establishment and the international community have been insufficient. He warned that without punishing those responsible and without fundamental changes in Serbian policy, long-term peace cannot be established in the Balkans.

Aliçkaj described the reaction of the mother country and of the person he characterized as Albania’s illegitimate pro-Serbian prime minister, Edi Rama, as worthless and shameful. He used the same terms to describe the silence of representatives of several parties and part of the press in Kosovo and other Albanian territories.

According to him, the statement by Paunović, whom he called the minister of hatred of a Serbian state built on hatred and myths, poses a danger. Aliçkaj claimed that her aim is to deceive Serbian voters in the upcoming elections and divert international attention from the destructive actions of the Vučić regime. He added that the regime is taking no action against the minister, while Vučić is already presenting himself as a “constructive leader committed to peace.”

In his concluding statement to “Bota sot,” Aliçkaj said that everyone must understand this message, including both national and non-national Albanians, as well as international actors with differing positions. According to him, without punishing Serbian criminals, removing the Serbian government that he described as chauvinistic, racist and hegemonic, and denazifying the segment of the Serbian population burdened by hatred toward others, there will never be stability, security and lasting peace in the Balkans.

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These comments have been met with widespread condemnation, as they are seen as an attempt to legitimize ethnic cleansing rhetoric and run counter to the fundamental principles of the European Union.

Anitta Hipper, spokesperson for the European Commission, stressed that while the institution does not usually comment on individual statements, there is no room in Europe for language that justifies, promotes, or glorifies ethnic cleansing. She reaffirmed the EU’s unwavering commitment to human rights, peace, and reconciliation in the region.

This statement comes at a time when relations between Kosovo and Serbia remain extremely delicate, and Brussels continues to call on both sides to distance themselves from provocative language and actions that endanger the normalization process.

Meanwhile, Kosovo has declared Minister Paunović persona ‘non grata’.

Regarding this development, activist Agim Aliçkaj gave a statement to “Bota sot”, warning that this declaration is far from spontaneous but reflects an unbroken line of historical Serbian policies aimed at the displacement and destruction of Albanians from their lands.

Aliçkaj placed the minister’s speech in a broader context, noting that plans for the elimination of Albanians date back to the Načertanije of 1844, continue with Čubrilović’s 1937 Memorandum on the “Expulsion of the Albanians”, the 1986 Memorandum of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts, and culminate in the “Horseshoe” operation of 1998–1999, organized by the Milošević regime. He recalled that Čubrilović had clearly stated that the survival of the Serbian nation depended on the disappearance of the Albanian nation, adding that these plans are the product of collaboration between state regimes, the Serbian Academy, and the Serbian Orthodox Church.

Fortunately, according to him, the unbroken resistance of the Albanians, the liberation war of the KLA, and NATO’s intervention in 1999 caused the Serbian genocide in Kosovo to fail. Nevertheless, he underscores that the ideology of hatred towards Albanians remains alive in Serbia, partly due to the lack of a “denazification” process of Serbian society after the conflict.

He argued that a major mistake by Western powers was precisely the failure to liberate the Serbian people from medieval myths and to promote genuine reconciliation, leaving intact a political class that feeds the electorate with hatred towards neighbors.

Aliçkaj sharply criticized the approach of the European Union and the United States, describing it as a policy of appeasement towards the regime led by Aleksandar Vučić, a former collaborator of Milošević. According to him, the tepid reaction of the EC spokesperson, as well as the lack of concrete punitive measures for acts like the terrorist attack in Banjska and Ujman, or for the non-signing of the Brussels agreement, reveal a shocking double standard. Meanwhile, he added, the unfair pressure on Kosovo for further concessions, including sanctions for the implementation of the law in the north, reinforces this impression.

Finally, the activist called the reaction of official Albania and Prime Minister Edi Rama worthless and shameful, as well as the silence of a part of the parties and press in the Albanian space. He warned that Minister Paunović’s statement is dangerous and serves to deceive Serbian voters ahead of elections, as well as to divert international attention from the destructive actions of Vučić’s regime. Aliçkaj concluded that without the punishment of criminals, the removal of a chauvinist government, and the eradication of hatred from a segment of Serbian society, there will never be lasting peace and security in the Balkans.

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The statement sparked numerous reactions, as it was viewed as a justification of ethnic-cleansing rhetoric and a stance contrary to the fundamental principles of the European Union.

European Commission spokesperson Anitta Hipper said the EU does not comment on individual statements by political figures. However, she stressed that rhetoric justifying, inciting or glorifying ethnic cleansing has no place in Europe, reaffirming the bloc’s commitment to human rights, peace and regional reconciliation.

The reactions come at a time when Kosovo-Serbia relations remain fragile. The European Union continues to call on both sides to avoid inflammatory language and actions that could increase tensions or undermine the normalization of relations.

Meanwhile, Kosovo has declared the Serbian minister ‘non grata’.

On the matter, activist Agim Aliçkaj gave a statement to “Bota Sot”, describing Paunović’s remarks as part of the continuation of historical Serbian policies which, according to him, have aimed to expel and eliminate Albanians from their lands.

He said the Serbian minister’s statement regarding the ethnic cleansing of Kosovo’s Albanians was neither new nor surprising, considering it a continuation of centuries-long efforts by Serbian policy, which he described as chauvinistic, racist and hegemonic.

According to Aliçkaj, projects aimed at eliminating Albanians and taking their land include the 1844 Načertanije, Čubrilović’s 1937 memorandum “The Expulsion of the Albanians”, the 1986 Memorandum of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts (SANU), and Operation “Horseshoe” of 1998–1999, organized by the regime of war criminal Slobodan Milošević.

The activist said Čubrilović had set out in detail the methods for implementing what he described as inhumane plans, citing the assertion that “the existence of the Serbian nation depends on the non-existence of the Albanian nation”. He added that, in his view, Serbian plans had been the joint product of state regimes, the Serbian Academy of Sciences and the Serbian Orthodox Church.

Aliçkaj assessed that Serbian plans for genocide in Kosovo failed thanks to Albanian resistance, the Kosovo Liberation Army’s war and NATO’s intervention. However, he said the ideology of hatred toward Albanians continues to exist in Serbia, partly due to the absence of a “denazification” process after the war.

According to him, the heroic centuries-long resistance of Albanians in various forms, crowned by the Kosovo Liberation Army’s liberation war and NATO’s bombing of Serbia in 1999, ultimately caused Serbian genocide against Albanians to fail. He stated that Serbian aspirations continue to be expressed through Paunović’s latest statement.

He added that a large part of the Serbian population, even after the bombing and the loss of four brutal wars, has, in his view, not freed itself from the myths and deceptions of a political class that feeds it hatred toward Albanians and other Balkan peoples.

Aliçkaj called the lack of “denazification” of Serbian society after Serbia’s military defeat a major mistake by Western states, as well as the failure to free it from hatred toward other nations and the dead myths of the Middle Ages.

He further stated that the European Community and America are pursuing a misguided and failed policy of rapprochement with the Serbian regime led by Aleksandar Vučić, whom he described as a collaborator of Milošević. According to him, this policy is linked to interests he called illusory, aimed at pulling Serbia away from Russian influence, while the Serbian regime is exploiting the situation without limits.

He described Anitta Hipper’s reaction, as well as the reactions of many representatives of Western countries, as weak and unserious, except, in his view, for some MPs or thinkers with strong human principles. Aliçkaj stressed that no concrete punitive measures had been taken over Minister Paunović’s statement.

He also claimed that no punitive measures had been taken against Serbia over the terrorist acts in Banjska and Ujman, its failure to sign the Brussels Agreement, and the destabilization of Kosovo and the Balkans. On the other hand, he said Kosovo is subjected to unfair pressure to make further concessions to Serbia, including sanctions against Kosovo for enforcing the law in the north, which he described as a shocking double standard.

In conclusion, Aliçkaj said the reaction from Albania, part of Albanian politics and the international community had been insufficient. He warned that, in his view, without punishing those responsible and without fundamental changes in Serbian policy, lasting peace in the Balkans cannot be guaranteed.

He described the reaction of the mother state and Albania’s illegitimate pro-Serbian prime minister, Edi Rama, as worthless and shameful. According to him, the same applies to the lack of reaction from representatives of certain parties and part of the press in Kosovo and other Albanian lands.

Aliçkaj described Paunović’s statement as dangerous, calling her a minister of hatred in a Serbian state of hatred and myths. According to him, its aim is to deceive Serbian voters in the upcoming elections and divert international attention from the destructive actions of Vučić’s regime, which, according to Aliçkaj, does not take measures against her but presents itself as a “constructive leader committed to peace”.

He concluded that without punishing Serbian criminals, removing the Serbian government that he described as chauvinistic, racist and hegemonic, and without the “denazification” of the part of the Serbian population burdened by hatred toward others, there will be no calm, security or lasting peace in the Balkans.

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In its reaction, the institute recalls that the atrocities committed during the 1998–1999 period were met with international justice, where the highest political, military, and police figures of Milošević’s apparatus were convicted for war crimes in Kosovo.

“Despite this, even to this day, high officials of the Serbian state continue to use language that minimizes or legitimizes policies that left behind thousands killed, mass deportations, acts of sexual violence, and enforced disappearances. In parallel, the process of documenting war crimes continues in Kosovo. We at IKKL collect evidence and testimonies, convinced that they form the basis for establishing justice, acknowledging guilt, and seeking institutional apology,” the statement says.

Highlighting the importance of confronting history, the reaction ends with the message that only an honest treatment of the past remains essential to building mutual trust and ensuring long-term peace in the region.

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Through a post on social media, she mocked the fact that President Vjosa Osmani has not reacted to the discussions taking place within the LDK.

Matoshi’s post:

Hey, what is Vjosa saying about these developments?

Lumir supported her with No. 1, and she hasn’t even spoken up.

Haha, she changes the subject quickly 🙂

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