The Serbian Orthodox Bishop of Eastern American, Irinej, a church figure who reportedly has good connections with the U.S. (government), sent a letter to Secretary of State Anthony Blinken on Monday, thanking him for his special announcement after the violent occupation of municipal buildings in the North by the special forces of the Kosovo Police. He also sent a letter to Jake Sullivan, President Biden’s national security adviser. In his letter, he also expressed concern over the violence in the north.
We publish the letter in its entirety below
Dear Secretary Blinken and Mr. Sullivan:
We are writing to express our profound dismay and indignation at the violence that unfolded today in Kosovo and Metohija. A peaceful Serbian protest against the forceful seizure of Northern Kosovo municipalities by the heavily armed Kosovo Albanian police escalated into a violent confrontation with KFOR, resulting in numerous injuries on both sides. We hold the KFOR peacekeeping role in Kosovo in high regard, but it is regrettable that violence ensued when KFOR attempted to disperse the protestors to facilitate the operations of the „Kosovo special police,“ during which one Serbian protester was even shot, presumably by the Kosovo police as KFOR did not employ fire-weapons.
The Serbian Orthodox Church with its local Bishop Teodosije immediately called for peace and condemned the violence.
This alarming violence, threatening to ignite a second wave of hostilities against the Serbian population of Kosovo and Metohija – a population merely seeking to live and worship peacefully on their ancestral lands – comes merely a day after the U.S. and its allies, including you, Secretary Blinken, called on the authorities in Pristina to quickly deescalate the tensions that they themselves had unnecessarily incited, for which we are grateful. We have persistently stressed, over the years and across numerous administrations, that the Kosovo Albanian authorities in Pristina display scant respect for their own agreements, constitution, or laws.
Today’s violence underscores their capacity to disregard even the United States and its allies, which have been undermined by the reckless actions of the Kosovo Albanian authorities.
The peace and stability of Southeastern Europe depend, among many other factors, on the ability of Kosovo’s Serbian population to live in peace, security, and with human dignity. It is evident that the most substantial threat to these fundamental rights of Kosovo’s Serbs stems from the irresponsibility and persistent violations of Serbian human and religious rights by Kosovo’s Albanian authorities. We appeal to the United States and NATO to engage promptly with representatives of the Serbian community and the Serbian Orthodox Church in Kosovo and Metohija to discuss and implement new security measures to safeguard their lives and well-being.
Read more:
Conflict in Zvečan between KFOR members and Serbs, there are casualties
Protests Break Out in Three Municipalities in Northern Kosovo, KFOR secures the scene
KFOR: Both Sides Must Refrain from Actions that Could Incite Violence and Cause Escalation
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