European Union Spokesman Peter Stano told Radio Free Europe on Friday that recent events involving the detention of Kosovo police officers in Serbia are worrying.
Serbia, according to Kosovo authorities, detained ten Kosovo police officials recently, among them a deputy director of the Kosovo Police with Serbian nationality. That all were released by April 18.
The Serbian police had said that they had been taken into custody for “security checks”.
Underlining that all police officers have already been released, Stano told REL that “no one can be deprived of their freedom, unless it is reasonable and in accordance with the procedure established by law”.
“Furthermore, the Agreement on freedom of movement reached within the dialogue with the support of the EU defines clear parameters for the entry and exit of Kosovo citizens to and from Serbia, and it must be respected”, said Stano.
He added that the EU expects the parties to the dialogue to avoid any move that could threaten security and stability and to ensure a suitable environment for the development of the dialogue.
On April 17, according to authorities in Kosovo, Serbia detained over 1,400 Kosovars for more than 20 hours at its border points with Croatia and Hungary, who were transiting through Serbia.
The Government of Kosovo described these actions as Serbia’s revenge against the support from the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe for Kosovo’s membership in this organization.
Serbia denied the accusations, saying that the delays were caused by additional security measures at the border, and that the movement of Kosovar citizens “has not been restricted”./REL
