The Kosovo Police has developed an operational plan following warnings from the so-called “Organizational Council for Blockades” about planned road blockades leading to the border crossings of Merdar, Jarinjë, and Bernjak on Friday, starting at 18:00 within Serbian territory. Protesters will prevent the movement of all cargo coming from Serbia to Kosovo and vehicles with license plates and driver’s licenses from the Republic of Kosovo.
The council demands the withdrawal of the special unit of the Kosovo Police from the four northern municipalities, the return of Serbs to institutions, and for the northern part of Kosovo to be controlled by KFOR.
The so-called “Organizational Council for Blockades” in Serbia announced days ago that they will begin blocking roads from Serbia leading to border crossings with Kosovo starting September 6.
According to them, the blockade will continue until the Kosovo Police withdraws from the northern part of the Republic.
In response, the Kosovo Police in the north stated that, as always, they have an operational plan in place.
Deputy Director of Police for the Northern Region, Veton Elshani, said that according to information, the road blockades in Serbia are expected to start at 18:00.
“Whenever we have information that something might happen, we have operational plans in place. We are not caught by surprise if there is a blockade at the border points,” said Elshani.
Meanwhile, Kosovo institutions have advised citizens to exercise caution when transiting through Serbia and to avoid all entry and exit points between Kosovo and Serbia.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Diaspora urges all citizens of the Republic of Kosovo, including members of the diaspora, who have planned or are planning to transit through Serbian territory, to avoid all entry and exit points at the border crossings between Kosovo and Serbia,” the MFA announcement stated.
Additionally, the National Center for Border Management has published contact numbers in case of any obstacles caused by this blockade.
According to the NCBM, Kosovo authorities, in cooperation with partners, have taken necessary actions to manage the anticipated situation and have encouraged citizens to get information only from official sources of the Republic of Kosovo to avoid disinformation and false news.
Source: rtklive