Djuric calls for urgent action to prevent tragedy in Kosovo-Metohija

WASHINGTON - Serbian Ambassador to Washington Marko Djuric has called for urgent action to prevent tragedy in Kosovo-Metohija in the wake of the most recent decisions by the Pristina government, which he noted were aimed at a forceful expulsion of Serbs from the province.

"Thousands of Serbs across the North of Kosovo* continue peaceful protests against the oppression of Kurti's regime and the violent and undemocratic ethnically motivated takeover of Serb majority municipalities. Yesterday's kidnapping of Milun Milenkovic in K. Mitrovica by Kurti thugs - yet another escalatory and destabilising move - brought even more peaceful protesters onto the streets today," Djuric wrote in a post on his official Twitter account on Wednesday evening.

"Today in the early afternoon, local time, three uniformed individuals, wearing Kosovo* Police uniforms, armed with AK-47 rifles, guns and knives, were arrested by the Serbian police near the village of Gnjilice, Raska municipality, central Serbia, 1.8 km from the administrative line. Soon after, the Kosovo* government lies about the whereabouts of their arrest, implying they were apprehended in Kosovo* just off the administrative line.

Even if it were correct that they were arrested in Kosovo* (which is not the case, and is yet another lie), let us be reminded that any presence of Kurti's monoethnic special police near the administrative line would constitute a direct violation of the Kumanovo Military Technical Agreement. Article 9 of the Brussels Agreement is very clear on that, too - any police presence in the North of Kosovo* must reflect the ethnic structure," Djuric added.

"At 1600 local time, in a grave and dangerous escalation, Kurti's government bans the imports and trading of all Serbian goods in direct violation of CEFTA and numerous other agreements, depriving the Serbian community and others across Kosovo* of access to food, medicine and basic services.

- At around 2000 local time, Kurti’s government enacts a ban on all vehicles with Serbian license plates entering or circulating in Kosovo*.

Measures adopted today by the government of Albin Kurti have the purpose of subjugating and forcefully expelling an entire ethnic group from Kosovo*," he noted.

"As such, these actions contain elements of criminal responsibility. Immediate action is required in order to prevent tragedy," Djuric concluded.