Serbian president to be detained if he enters Kosovo without permission: Interior minister

By Talha Ozturk

BELGRADE, Serbia (AA) - Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic will be detained if he travels to Kosovo without permission, the country’s interior minister said Wednesday.

"If he comes to Kosovo without permission, yes, without any doubt. How do you think a foreign citizen can enter the Republic of Kosovo without the permission of Kosovo institutions? What are the consequences? Conclusion. The point is, if the head of another state enters your territory without permission, you would not have a state,'' said Xhelal Svecla.

Svecla was responding to Vucic's recent remarks where he said he will not request permission from Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti for a visit.

"I will visit Kosovo and I will not ask Kurti for this," Vucic said last week.

Svecla said it is up to Kurti to decide if Vucic should be allowed to visit Kosovo.

"Whether Vucic should be allowed or not is an issue that the prime minister must decide in case of a request for permission. If he enters without permission, it is clear which institutions will deal with this issue," said Svecla. "I do not believe that Vucic is crazy enough to come to Kosovo without permission."

Vucic told reporters after the Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue Meeting between the EU, Serbia and Kosovo in Brussels last week, that he would go to Kosovo as soon as he was given "democratic permission."

In response, Kurti said when Vucic requests permission to visit, he will analyze it with the utmost seriousness and sincerity.

Kosovo declared its independence from Serbia in 2008, with most UN member states, including the US, UK, France, Germany and Türkiye, recognizing it as an autonomous country. Serbia, however, still considers Kosovo its territory.