Tensions between Serbia and Kosovo flared anew this weekend after Kosovo's police raided Serb-dominated areas in the region's north and seized local municipality buildings. Here's a look at why the two are persistently at odds.
Tensions between Serbia and Kosovo flared anew this weekend after Kosovo's police raided Serb-dominated areas in the region's north and seized local municipality buildings.
Kosovo's independence has been recognized by about 100 countries, including the United States. Russia, China have sided with Serbia. The deadlock has kept tensions simmering and prevented full stabilization of the Balkan region after the bloody wars in the 1990s.Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that the situation in Kosovo is alarming and that it could provoke another conflict in Central Europe.
On Monday, Serbs engaged in fierce clashes with NATO peacekeepers, leaving more than 50 rioters and 30 international troops injured. Kosovo's majority ethnic Albanians view Kosovo as their country and accuse Serbia of occupation and repression. Ethnic Albanian rebels launched a rebellion in 1998 to rid the country of Serbian rule.
In Kosovo, Albin Kurti, a former student protest leader and political prisoner in Serbia, leads the government and is the main negotiator in EU-mediated talks. He was also known as a fierce supporter of Kosovo's unification with Albania and is against any compromise with Serbia.
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