(Bloomberg) -- Kosovo’s Prime Minister Albin Kurti said international criticism of his government’s treatment of Serbian minority was overblown, a comment that’s likely to dismay Western backers who have appealed for restraint.
The moves by Pristina to close Serbia-backed institutions and ban the use of the Serbian dinar have prompted warnings from the US and the European Union that the actions may pose a threat to the fragile peace in the Balkans.
“They are worried too much,” Kurti told Bloomberg in an interview in Warsaw on Wednesday. “Every time we take action, there are alarming voices about possible escalation, but here we are — Kosovo is better than ever before.”
Northern Kosovo is home to the biggest remaining Serb community following a 1998-99 war over the territory and Kosovo’s declaration of independence in 2008.
The crackdown, which included shutting down branches of Serbian banks in the area, follows a shootout last year near an Orthodox monastery in the north that left one Kosovo police officer and three Serbian militants dead. It was the bloodiest clash in the region in nearly two decades.
Kurti defended his actions as necessary to restore law and order in the long-divided north. He also insisted that the steps are necessary toward asserting control over Serb-majority areas and fully integrating them into Kosovo’s legal and financial systems.
“My impression is that precisely because we’re being successful, Belgrade is more nervous and consequently more aggressive,” he said.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has repeatedly accused Kurti of pressuring the already dwindling Serb community into moving out of Kosovo. He also demanded implementation of an EU-brokered deal under which the Serb community is allowed some autonomy.
Last month, Vucic urged the government in Pristina to hold local elections in northern municipalities. The idea is a non-starter for Kurti. The voting in northern municipalities will only take place during a general election in the fall of next year, he said.
“Vucic failed, and now he wants us to pay for his failure,” Kurti said, adding that the time that Serbian president has influence over Kosovo’s internal affairs “is long gone.”
Under an EU-brokered deal in 2013, Serbs agreed to take part in local and central governments in Kosovo, but walked out in 2021 over alleged discrimination and have boycotted two ballots since.
Arrests of local Serbs by Kosovo police have also increased tensions, while several thousand NATO-led peace-keepers remain in the area.
In order to return to the dialog, Kurti demanded Serbia hand over Milan Radoicic, who took responsibility for last year’s armed attack near the monastery. He also urged the EU to apply more pressure on Belgrade to help ease tensions with an agreement to normalize relations.
“It should have happened yesterday,” Kurti said. “I believe it’s doable.”
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