Serbia's president warns of 'unpredictable scenarios with huge consequences' in Balkans

By Talha Ozturk

BELGRADE, Serbia (AA) - Serbia’s president warned Monday of ''unpredictable scenarios with huge consequences'' in his country’s relations with Kosovo.

''It is high time to understand that if the population of Kosovo and Metohija cannot rely on the UN either as an objective arbitrator or someone who will prevent the cunning ethnic engineering of Pristina, I am afraid that this will lead us to the possibility of unpredictable scenarios with huge consequences,'' Aleksandar Vucic said on social media.

Vucic's remarks came after a session of the United Nations Security Council in New York.

During the session, a regular six-month report on the work of the UN Mission in Kosovo and Metohija was presented to Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

''That's why today, more than ever, we need a strong and principled United Nations, and the situation in Kosovo and Metohija is a good opportunity for the world organization to strengthen its international authority,'' said Vucic.

Guterres said that despite some progress in the implementation of agreements reached with the mediation of the European Union, tensions between Belgrade and Pristina have increased and the security situation in the north of Kosovo remains fragile.

At the same time, he pointed out that there was no progress towards the establishment of the Union of Serbian Municipalities despite diplomatic pressure and expressed concern about the implementation of new regulations on payment transactions which, as he stated, affected the economic and social rights of Serbs and other non-majority communities.

Guterres called for an urgent discussion on open issues within the EU-mediated dialogue to ensure that the rights of all affected communities and the most vulnerable groups are protected.

Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008 and was recognized by many countries, including Türkiye. But Belgrade has never recognized Kosovo and claims it is still part of neighboring Serbia.