Acting Prime Minister Albin Kurti has confirmed that high-ranking Serbian officials carried out illegal wiretaps during meetings in Brussels within the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue. Kurti stated that this act represents a new form of Serbia’s obstructive and sabotaging approach. Meanwhile, security experts and political analysts say this is a major scandal for which the EU must hold Serbia accountable — but Brussels has remained silent so far.
On the “Five” show on Dukagjini TV, audio recordings were broadcast this week, showing that Igor Popović, deputy director of the so-called Office for Kosovo in the Serbian government, conducted wiretaps during the 17 September 2020 meeting in Brussels.
These illegal recordings of conversations with EU officials were publicly confirmed by Prime Minister Kurti during this Friday’s government meeting.
“The latest case, which proves the illegal and covert audio recording of talks in Brussels, is an extremely serious incident, revealing a systematic, destructive, obstructive, and sabotaging approach by Serbia towards the parties, the mediator, and the EU-led process itself,” said Albin Kurti, Acting Prime Minister of Kosovo.
Popović was arrested on 18 July this year in Kosovo after labeling the KLA (UÇK) as a terrorist organization.
Kurti added that Serbia continues to work to destabilize Kosovo, while security institutions are successfully countering these efforts.
A Political and Security Scandal
Political analyst Afrim Kasolli described this action as a unique scandal, emphasizing that the EU should not only hold Serbia responsible but also its officials.
“This is an unprecedented and dangerous scandal. The EU must be held accountable too, because it is illogical and risky for an institution like the EU External Action Service to become a source for Serbian secret services, providing them access to confidential information,” Kasolli stated.
Security expert Fadil Kajtazi said he was not surprised, claiming Serbian officials used their diplomatic immunity to bypass security measures.
How the Wiretaps Serve Serbian Intelligence
But what could these recordings mean for Serbia’s BIA intelligence service?
“These conversations are analyzed in detail by expert teams — from the tone of voice, ways of answering, gestures — to study the character of the negotiators,” Kajtazi explained.
He did not rule out the possibility that these wiretaps could later be used for blackmail.
The leaked audio shows Popović and other Serbian officials discussing property issues in Kosovo with an EU official.
The TV channel also published messages proving Popović’s links to BIA’s senior officer, Bojan Dimić.
