The border crossings between Kosovo and Serbia, Bërnjak and Merdarja, were closed to traffic last night. Meanwhile, the border point at Jarinje remains blocked for citizens with documents from the Republic of Kosovo, reports Express.
Initially, the Bërnjak crossing was closed. The Minister of Internal Affairs, Xhelal Svecla, reported that masked extremist groups, in the presence of Serbian police within Serbia’s territory, had stopped vehicles and checked travelers. He mentioned that a Kosovar family traveling to Germany was forced to turn back.
“This is happening before the eyes of Serbian police, making them complicit. These fascist acts, where Serbs are allowed through regardless of their documents while Albanians are obstructed despite their documents, are absolutely unacceptable to us. Therefore, until normal, unimpeded, and safe traffic is stabilized for all travelers, the Bërnjak crossing will remain closed,” Svecla wrote.
After midnight, he announced that the Merdarja border crossing was also closed.
“Following similar actions by masked Serbian extremists within Serbia’s territory, who are selectively and fascistically obstructing citizens who wish to transit through Serbia, all before the eyes of Serbian authorities, the Merdarja border crossing is also closed. To protect the lives and ensure the safety of all our citizens, this crossing, like Bërnjak, will remain closed until such selective and fascist actions cease and the situation is fully normalized,” Svecla wrote.
Foreign Minister Donika Gërvalla reacted to the closure of Bërnjak, stating that the crossing will remain closed until the masked individuals are removed and free movement is restored.
“At the Bërnjak border crossing, within Serbia’s territory, masked individuals are stopping even vehicles with German plates and, upon finding out they are Albanian, are not allowing them to pass. The Serbian police vehicle merely observes and does not intervene to ensure free movement, thus becoming an accomplice in this racist and fascist selection process, which brings to mind dark times and is intolerable. The Bërnjak border crossing will remain closed until the masked individuals are removed and free movement is restored,” Gërvalla wrote.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs urged citizens and travelers heading to or from Kosovo to take precautionary measures and use alternative border crossings.
Meanwhile, representatives from several Serbian associations have blocked roads near three border crossings with Kosovo in Serbia’s territory. Small groups gathered on the afternoon of September 6 at the crossings in Merdarja, Jarinje, and Bërnjak, obstructing trucks and drivers with Kosovar documents. The roadblocks were set up following the closure of five Serbian parallel institutions in the north of the country by Kosovo authorities.
