On Monday, Serbia released three Kosovar police officers charged with smuggling explosives, among other things. Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti confirms this Twitter. Serbia thus meets the demands of Kosovo, the EU and the US to release the three agents. It is unclear whether the men will still be prosecuted despite their release.
In mid-June, the three policemen were arrested, much to the fury of the Kosovo government. According to Serbia, the men were apprehended while attempting to smuggle explosives and weapons across the border. Kosovo insists the three were abducted by Serbian authorities just across the Kosovo border. The exact boundary line has never been established, so who is right is unclear.
With the release, the tensions between the two countries are by no means over, Prime Minister Kurti of Kosovo said. He writes: “We confirm that the three kidnapped police officers have been released. While we are happy for them to be able to return to their families, this abduction remains a serious human rights violation that must be rectified.” The US and EU also condemned Serbia for the detention, but calmed both countries during a meeting in Brussels last week.
Since the Kosovo War of Independence in the late 1990s, the two countries have been at odds. Once in a while, an incident such as the arrest of the officers causes tensions to flare up. NATO has stationed some 4,500 troops in the area to keep the peace. At the end of May, they clashed with ethnic Serbs who attempted to storm municipal offices in Kosovo. About 30 NATO troops were injured.
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