By Talha Ozturk
BELGRADE, Serbia (AA) - Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani said Thursday there is no need to meet Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic before imposing sanctions on Serbia for aggression in the north.
"I hope that we will have the opportunity to talk with European leaders so that we can talk together about how to adopt strict measures and sanctions against Serbia so that they are not encouraged to commit such an act of aggression again,'' Osmani told reporters after he landed for the third meeting of the European Political Community (EPC) in Spain.
Spain is hosting the meeting as the rotating president of the Council of the European Union. Osmani expressed concern about Kosovo's border with Serbia.
''We will ask for the support of European leaders to secure the border between Kosovo and Serbia because this is of essential importance for the preservation of peace and stability in the entire region of the Western Balkans," said Osmani.
A clash broke out Sept. 24 in the village of Banjska in northern Kosovo near the Serbian border when a group of armed Serbs blocked a bridge with two trucks. A shootout erupted after the group opened fire on police, leaving one police officer dead and another injured.
Kosovo Prime Minister Kurti blamed Serbia on Monday for plans to annex the northern territories.
Vucic said no progress has been achieved as he did not even talk to the representatives of Pristina because he said they did not want to talk.
"Was there any progress? I didn't talk to Prishtina and they don't want to talk, so I don't know what kind of progress you're talking about," he responded when asked by a journalist if there was any progress.
Vucic said he discussed all topics with everyone in Granada but he would have more conclusions after the meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron and European officials, including the head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell.
"We need solutions based on reality and compromises, not something that someone dreams about without giving anything to the other side. We reduced the number of soldiers on the administrative line. We are for the peace and prosperity of the Western Balkans," he said.
The area has been the scene of unrest since April, when local ethnic Serbs boycotted elections in northern Kosovo, followed by protests against the election of ethnic Albanian mayors.
Albanians are by far the largest ethnic group in Kosovo, followed by Serbs, with about half living in the country's north.
Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008 and gained recognition from many countries, including Türkiye. But Belgrade has never recognized Kosovo and claims that its territory is still part of Serbia.