BELGRADE (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 18th August, 2022) The talks between Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Kosovar Prime Minister Albin Kurti in Brussels are unlikely to bring tangible results and Pristina could still try to seize power in the northern part of Kosovo in the hopes that Russia is too busy in Ukraine to assist Serbia, Vojislav Seselj, the leader of the Serbian Radical Party, told Sputnik on Thursday.
"I don't expect anything good in Brussels. I do not know what Vucic discussed in telephone conversations with US and UK representatives, but it is clear that the ambassadors of the Quinta (US, UK, Germany, France and Italy) are not backing down from supporting the recognition of the self-proclaimed independence of Kosovo. They fully support the decisions of Pristina authorities and especially support Kurti's intentions to cancel Serbian license plates in the north of Kosovo by force," Seselj said.
The Serbian Radical Party leader added that there is a possibility of an armed conflict in Kosovo.
"There is a possibility of an armed conflict, the Albanians want it. They hope that Russia's hands are tied in Ukraine, that Russia will not participate much in the events in the Balkans, and that there will be no aid for the Serbs," he said.
Seselj said that he cannot exclude the possibility of NATO's intervention in the region if the tensions between Serbia and Kosovo continue to aggravate. NATO General Secretary Jens Stoltenberg said on Wednesday that the alliance is ready to take action if the crisis in Kosovo escalates, but did not go into any further details.
The recent escalation between Serbia and Kosovo, which Belgrade sees as its breakaway region, was triggered when Pristina announced plans to introduce new border rules from August 1. The controversial move pushed Serbs to set up roadblocks. Kosovo authorities eventually decided to postpone implementing the new regulations until September 1, on condition that the roadblocks are removed.
The leaders of Serbia and Kosovo accepted the invitation of EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell to meet in Brussels on August 18 and resume discussions on normalization of relations.
