Kosovo bans Serb officials from entering country

Gazeta Express

12/03/2020 17:10

Kosovo authorities banned Serbian officials from entering the country, until Serbian authorities release a Kosovo Albanian man arrested at the border in January 2020, Gazeta Express reports.

Kosovo’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Diaspora, headed by Glauk Konjufca, said they have not approved a request of Nikola Selakovic, General Secretary of the President of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic, who asked to visit Kosovo.

Kosovo’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the request was rejected after Serbian authorities have arrested and detained a Kosovo citizen, Nezir Mehmetaj, accusing him on alleged war crimes. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs says that no Serbian officials would be given permission to enter Kosovo until Mehmetaj is released.

“The request was rejected because of the unjust arrest and detention by authorities in Belgrade of our citizen, Nezir Mehmetaj, although all evidence prove that he should be released as soon as possible,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement. The Ministry said that they are ready to consider such requests only after Mehmetaj is released from detention. Kosovo citizen Nezir Mehmetaj was arrested by Serbian police on 4 January 2020 at the border crossing of Merdare, while he was returning from Switzerland. Serbian authorities claim that he is suspected of committing war crimes. /GazetaExpress/