Authorities in the nation and representatives of the international community have reacted to the resignation of three Serbian members of the Kosovo Police in the north, about one month after they began working there. Giovanni Pietro Barbano, the director of EULEX, the European Union Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo, noted that EULEX is closely monitoring the worrying developments and emphasized that “the composition of the police should reflect and represent the society they serve and protect.”
The American ambassador to Kosovo, Jeff Hoveiner, expresses similar reservations: “I fully share these concerns and reiterate our commitment to a multiethnic police force in Kosovo.” The Kosovo Police exists to serve all communities in the nation, as I have stated numerous times, and its members ought to be able to conduct their duties freely and without fear. We are keeping a careful eye on the developments.
According to Vjosa Osmani, president of Kosovo, “the resignation of Serbian community police officers is a direct result of continuous threats and intimidations from Serbia.”
This demonstrates how Milosevic’s strategies continue to inform Serbia’s policies. We’ll keep working to make sure everyone is welcome in all institutions and that Kosovo is secure, said Osmani.
The resignations of the 46 members of the Serbian community who were hired as new police officers in July have not been officially confirmed by the Kosovo Police. Some of them have had their names publicized on Serbian-language social media sites, and they have come under fire for joining the Kosovo Police, from which hundreds of Serbian police officers have resigned since last November.