What Lies Behind the Renewed Tensions Between Serbia and Kosovo?

Kosovo Clashes Risk Reviving Balkan Troubles

Tensions between Serbia and Kosovo escalated over the weekend after heavily armed Serbs barricaded themselves in a northern Kosovo monastery, triggering a gunfight with police that killed an officer and three assailants. Sunday's violence was one of the worst flare-ups since Kosovo's 2008 independence.

The clashes come as the EU and US try finalizing normalization talks between the Balkan nations. It stirs fears of renewed war after the bloody 1990s breakup of Yugoslavia. Kosovo accused Serbia of sending the attackers but Serbia denied it.

The deep dispute over Kosovo threatens to undo years of shaky progress. With Russia's endorsement of Serbian claims, risks grow of another Balkan conflict unless cooler heads prevail.

Why Are Serbia and Kosovo at Odds?

Kosovo is mainly ethnic Albanian and was part of Serbia before its 2008 statehood declaration. Belgrade rejects Kosovo's independence even though it has no control there. Over 100 nations recognize Kosovo, but Serbia has Russia, China and others opposed on its side.

Serbs view Kosovo as the heart of their history and religion. But most Kosovars are Muslims who accuse Serbia of occupation and oppression. After an uprising against Serbian rule, 1999 NATO strikes forced Serbia to cede control to international peacekeepers. But tensions simmer.

Are Tensions Now at a Breaking Point?

Frictions are constant between Kosovo's government and Serb-majority northern areas loyal to Belgrade. The divided city of Mitrovica is an ethnic flashpoint. Attempts to extend Kosovo's writ in the north face defiance from Serbs.

Clashes earlier this year over local Serb election boycotts and mayoral offices injured dozens, including NATO troops. The weekend monastery siege again showed how quickly sparks ignite in this fraught environment without deft diplomacy.

Does Russia's Ukraine War Connect?

Before invading Ukraine, President Putin cited NATO's Kosovo intervention to justify conquest in Europe. He argued the West's recognition of Kosovo set a precedent for Russia to take Crimea and back separatists in Ukraine.

The West rejects this reasoning, saying Kosovo followed Yugoslav atrocities against ethnic Albanians, unlike Ukraine. But some fear Russia is using Serbian-Kosovo tensions to create a new crisis distracting from Ukraine.

What Efforts Have Been Made to Resolve the Dispute?

The EU and US have mediated talks on Serbia-Kosovo normalization since 2012, achieving some incremental success. But nationalist leaders both sides and Serbia's refusal to recognize Kosovo obstruct a comprehensive deal.

While neither seeks full-scale war, the constant brinkmanship threatens miscalculations. Russia-backed Serbia also uses the frozen conflict to blunt Kosovo's legitimacy. Resolving the complex dispute requires defusing tensions.

Path Forward: Kosovo's Tough UN and EU Choices

Ideally, a deal would allow Kosovo UN membership without explicit Serbian recognition. It would unblock their EU accession paths.

Realistically, Serbia is unlikely to recognize Kosovo without getting something in return. Meanwhile, provocations from Kosovo's leadership compound mistrust.

If talks fail, prolonged instability, economic decline and intermittent clashes will continue punishing both nations. Preventing greater conflict requires wisdom, compromise and support for moderates over hardliners on both sides.

With Russian meddling a wild card, the international community must unite to broker an imperfect but sustainable settlement before the crisis escalates.

Flare-ups like the monastery siege spotlight the dispute's danger when inflamed by extremists. While the Serb attackers clearly provoked the violence, the Kosovar response also faced criticism.

Twenty-three years after war killed 13,000 in Kosovo, the world cannot bear witness to such bloodshed again. Serbia renouncing ancestral claims to Kosovo remains unlikely. But with skillful diplomacy, a framework for coexistence and regional reconciliation is possible.

Towards that end, the EU and US must reengage fully to bring the parties back from the brink. Creative solutions exist if leaders recommit to seeking peace.

Kosovo deserves to consolidate its nationhood after years of autonomy. But stability hinges on moderating the understandable impatience of a young country surrounded by dissenters.

With wisdom and courage on all sides, Kosovo and Serbia can jointly prosper in a secure shared neighborhood. But leaders must break the stalemate before people pay the price.

With Russian malice stirring the pot, the chance for misjudgment simmering in the Balkans cauldron grows daily. But skillful diplomacy can still avert disaster if the will for restraint and progress prevails over partisan provocations.

Summarised from the original article by - apnews.com