Balkans | Kosovo did not allow the Patriarch of the Serbian Orthodox Church to enter the country

Tensions escalated between Serbia and Kosovo as Kosovo Serbs erected barriers at border crossings, while the Kosovo government did not allow the Patriarch of the Serbian Orthodox Church to enter the country.

The Serbian Orthodox Church (SPC) announced that the Kosovo government did not allow Patriarch Porfirig to enter the country.

According to the statement on the SPC website, the Kosovo government did not allow Patriarch Porfirig, who wanted to go to the country to attend the Christmas Mass, to enter the country.

The statement, which said that Patriarch Porfirig received the news with sadness, said that the Patriarch would not abandon the service and that the decision meant “discrimination” for the Serbs living in the area.

The statement also indicated that Patriarch Porfirig had prayed for “peace to prevail between Serbs and Albanians” in northern Kosovo.

Tension between Kosovo and Serbia

Tensions between Kosovo and Serbia escalate after the arrest of former Serbian policeman Dejan Pantec.

In response to Bantik’s detention, Kosovo Serbs have been manning the barricades they have set up at the Yarenje and Brinjak border crossings since 10 December.

The European Union, NATO and the United States of America called for de-escalation and the removal of roadblocks in northern Kosovo. Serbia has asked the NATO peacekeeping force in Kosovo (KFOR) to deploy Serbian army and police in northern Kosovo.

Serbia considers Kosovo, which unilaterally declared its independence in 2008, to be its territory.

Serbia and Kosovo, which clash periodically, are trying to find a common way to normalize relations, and eventually the two countries get to know each other, within the scope of the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue process that began in 2011 with the mediation of the European Union.

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