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"Vučić must be stopped", MEPs line up on the side of Kosovo: Serbia should be punished

2023-10-04 18:15:14Politikë SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX
"Vučić must be stopped", MEPs line up on the side of Kosovo: Serbia
European Parliament - Illustrative photo

MEPs discussed in an extraordinary session the situation in Kosovo after the terrorist attack that was organized against the Kosovo Police in the north of the country where the police officer Afrim Bunjaku was killed.

The members of the EP demanded that justice be imposed for this aggressive act, sanctions against Serbia, while the Serbian president Vučić was called an autocrat.

The Commissioner for Humanitarian Affairs, Janez Lenarčič, spoke on behalf of the European Commission in the absence of the High Representative of the EU, Josep Borrell, who was on an official trip.

He criticized Serbia for its actions after the September 24 attack, which honored the three Serbian attackers who were killed after attacking the Kosovo Police and declared mourning for them.

"The rhetoric from Serbia regarding September 24 is very disturbing, as well as the way in which the day of mourning has been announced, what is clear at this stage is that this operation shows a heavy military armament and constitutes a major escalation that goes to opposition to EU calls for de-escalation", said Lenarčič.

The commissioner added that the European Union expects Serbia to fully cooperate.

"The EU is closely following the following investigations and expects that the perpetrators will be brought to justice and that Serbia will fully cooperate, including in the prevention of arms smuggling near the administrative border line. It is important that Kosovo and Serbia refrain from any action that could escalate the situation" , said Lenarčič.

Croatian MP Tonino Picula, speaking on behalf of the Socialist group, demanded measures against Serbia, calling the September 24 attack on the Kosovo Police in Banjska in Zveçan, where Sergeant Afrim Bunjaku was killed, as terrorist.

"Recent events are evidence of how dangerous the situation is. We are worried about Serbia's behavior even after these events ," said Picula.

The German MP Viola von Cramon - who is also the rapporteur for Kosovo in the EP - said that the " brutal attack proves that we cannot take freedom as guaranteed in Europe ".

She underlined that Radoicic's connections with official Belgrade "are more than evident ", and that Serbia should "immediately" withdraw all troops from the border with Kosovo.

"The EU and NATO must come up with a new plan for Kosovo. Germany should follow Britain's lead to increase its military presence in Kosovo ," she said, referring to Britain's decision last week to send 200 additional troops to NATO's peacekeeping mission in Kosovo, KFOR.

Dutch MEP Reuten asked for "decisive steps to stop the President of Serbia Vucic" .

"Vucic must be stopped because he does not stop himself. If we tolerate it once and don't stop it, the next time it goes one step further. All that the EU has done is to sanction Kosovo", he stressed, demanding measures against Serbia.

In the debate, there was a lot of criticism about the EU's policy towards Serbia and the neglect of Russia's influence in the region. Some MPs called for international investigations and for those responsible for the attack on the Kosovo Police in the north to be brought to justice.

Some MEPs even demanded that Serbia's funds be frozen until the investigations are completed. They criticized the EU for "using a soft policy " towards Serbia, for treating Vucic as " a friend, giving him funds and being reluctant to condemn his power."

The Dutch MEP, Strik, had harsher criticism towards Serbia and its president, Aleksandar Vučić.

She has stated that the European Union has silently allowed Vučić to undermine the stability of the region. Strik even called Vučić an autocrat.

"We were all shocked when a heavily armed Serbian gang with apparently strong ties to the Serbian government entered Kosovo and brutally murdered a police officer. Shocked, but not surprised. Because this is where the appeasement strategy applied by the European Union leads. For years we have silently allowed Vučić to undermine stability in the region, to remain a supporter of the Kremlin, to destroy the rights of minorities in his own country. We treat him as a friend, encouraging him to go even further. This is what autocrats do when they have impunity. We had to learn the lesson from Putin", she said.

The Bulgarian MEP, Ilhan Kyuchyuk, during his speech, referred to Aleksandar Vucic as "Vladimir Vucic".

Kyuchyuk said it is unbelievable that we have to hear through our staunch allies, the Americans, about the military buildup by the Serbs.

Meanwhile, the Austrian MEP, Lukas Mandl, during the discussion about Kosovo in the European Parliament, said that the commission should not return to its daily work, as if nothing had happened.

"After the recent events, people in Kosovo are scared. The memory of war and cruelty is present. With Serbian leaders, the European Commission should not return to business as usual. The Commission has failed with its own policy in the Western Balkans ", he said further.

The Slovak MEP, Vladimir Bilicik, who is also the rapporteur for Serbia, blamed the Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, for the situation in the north.

"The dialogue process began to stall with the arrival of Albin Kurti in power. His refusal to establish the Association created the situation in which the dialogue has stalled. There can be no solution without compromise" , he said.

The MEPs who criticized Kosovo did so only by saying that it is "showing unwillingness" to establish the Association of Municipalities with a Serbian majority.

The European Parliament in the next session during the month of October will also approve a special resolution on the situation in Kosovo.


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