"Kosovo faces the risk of "destabilizing acts" from Serbia"/ Osmani meets with NATO admiral

2026-01-12 22:10:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

"Kosovo faces the risk of "destabilizing acts" from Serbia"/

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani said in a meeting with a US NATO admiral on Monday in Pristina that her country faces "risks from destabilizing acts" by Serbia, the Kosovo Presidency announced.

Osmani congratulated Admiral George M. Wikoff on assuming the position of Commander of NATO's Allied Joint Forces Command in Naples, expressing "her full confidence in his leadership and in the key role that this command plays for Euro-Atlantic security, regional stability and international peace."

Wikoff succeeded Admiral Stuart B. Munsch in this position, who completed his term in November of last year.

"President Osmani confirmed her commitment to continuing cooperation with KFOR and emphasized that Kosovo remains a reliable, capable and contributing partner to regional security and stability, strongly committed to the values ??of peace, democracy and the rule of law ," the announcement states.

The presidency did not provide details regarding the allegations of destabilizing acts, but Kosovo officials have repeatedly accused Belgrade of such actions.

Tensions between Kosovo and Serbia have been consistently high in recent years, especially after several incidents in the Serb-majority north.

In an attack on the Kosovo Police in Banjska, Zvecan, by a group of armed Serbs, a police sergeant and three attackers were killed.

For Banjska, Serbia ignores the "elephant in the room"

Responsibility for the attack was claimed by Milan Radoi?i?, then deputy leader of the largest Serb party in Kosovo, the Serbian List, which is supported by Belgrade.

Kosovo blames Serbia for the attack and is seeking the extradition of Radoi?i?, who is believed to be wandering in Serbia, but Belgrade has denied any involvement in the attack.

A year later, an explosion in the vital Iber-Lepenc water canal caused extensive damage, disrupting the water supply for thousands of residents and the cooling system of the country's two main thermal power plants.

In a meeting with the American admiral, Osmani criticized Serbia for its "lack of accountability" for the attack on KFOR soldiers during protests in the north of the country in 2023 - where over 90 soldiers of the peacekeeping mission were injured, as well as for the "terrorist attack, namely the aggression in Banjska and the kinetic attack on the Iber-Lepenc canal."

NATO increased its presence in Kosovo through 2023, following rising tensions in the Serb-majority north, and now has 4,649 peacekeepers from 33 countries. /REL