Long-held tensions between Serbia and the breakaway nation of Kosovo came to a head at the end of 2022, with barricades in place along the border and Serbian troops being ordered to combat readiness. 9News
grinds on and fears of conflict escalation continue, another international flashpoint has been heating up in eastern Europe.
"Any security destabilisation that works against Euro-Atlantic integration of the Western Balkans has been welcomed and encouraged by Vladimir Putin's regime," Dr Gorana Grgic, from the University of Sydney, told 9news.com.au."The fact there is a greater talk of integration of the region in the EU and NATO is directly related to the war in Ukraine, and is seen as an insurance against greater Russian influence."Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic.
The former police officer, Dejan Pantic, was detained on December 10 for "terrorism" after allegedly assaulting a Kosovo police officer during an earlier protest. "We haven't provoked anyone not even for a single second, unless some people consider it a provocation that we see our people in Kosovo as citizens of our country," he said.Serbia and Kosovo are seeking European Union membership, but have been told they must "normalise" their relations as a prerequisite."Serbia is not going to renounce claims over Kosovo as long as the present constellation of political actors and parties is in power," she said.
But despite the prospect of ongoing tensions, Grgic said the NATO presence in Kosovo made the situation starkly different to Ukraine's position in February last year.
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