Kosovo closes two Serbian public enterprises in the north, employees ordered to leave offices

2024-12-26 12:59:31Aktualitet SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX

Kosovo closes two Serbian public enterprises in the north, employees ordered to

Two public enterprises, which operated in the Serbian system in North Mitrovica, the Directorate for Residential and Business Space and the Directorate for Construction Land , were closed on December 26.

The deputy director of the Kosovo Police for the northern region, Veton Elshani , told Radio Free Europe that local authorities requested help to "liberate some offices."

The offices of these two companies were located in a residential building in North Mitrovica and at the moment it is not known in whose name these premises are, where these companies operated.

Elshani emphasized that the competent prosecutor has also been contacted, as it has been determined that "illegal and parallel structures" are operating in these premises.

He said that a case has been initiated for "forgery of documents" and that the building where these offices of Serbian public enterprises were located will be under police surveillance until "the case is resolved."

After the closure of the offices of two Serbian companies, the Office for Kosovo in the Government of Serbia reacted by saying that Serbian institutions in the north are being "usurped" and that these steps are "contrary to the agreements."

"Around 70 employees of these institutions were legitimized and then ordered to leave the offices, after they were told they had no business there ," the office said in a statement to the media.

She has called on the international community in Kosovo to take immediate measures and "prevent Kosovo's Prime Minister, Albin Kurti, from causing conflicts."

Meanwhile, the Serbian List, the largest Serb party in Kosovo, announced that the "invasion" of Kosovo authorities into Serbian companies will not put the 70 employees at risk, and that they will continue to receive their salaries.

Kosovo institutions operating within the Serbian system are considered illegal, and for this reason, their closure began at the beginning of the year.

So far, several temporary municipal bodies have been closed, the Post of Serbia in northern Kosovo, the Postal Savings Bank, the Pension and Disability Insurance Institute in North Mitrovica, the vault of the National Bank of Serbia in Leposavic, as well as several municipal companies.

Kosovo has also banned the use of the Serbian dinar, which has made it difficult to pay salaries for members of the Serbian community who receive salaries from the Serbian budget.

The Kosovo Government has said that it has taken these steps to extend sovereignty, but it has been criticized by the international community, which demands that these issues be resolved within the framework of the Brussels dialogue, in order to avoid increasing tensions on the ground.

On the other hand, Serbia refuses to close its institutions in the territory of Kosovo and has relocated most of them near border points on the Serbian side./rel


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