Serbia seeks China's influence to end violence against Serbs in Kosovo

BELGRADE, Serbia

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic on Tuesday asked China for its influence on the international community to end violence against ethnic Serbs in Kosovo.

Vucic met with China's Ambassador to Belgrade Chen Bo amid rising tensions in northern Kosovo.

"I appeal to my Chinese friends to influence the international community with their huge international reputation in order to achieve an immediate end to violence against Serbs and to ensure peace and security in Kosovo and Metohija," Vucic stated on his official Instagram account after the meeting.

China on Tuesday put its weight behind Serbia amid the Balkan nation’s renewed conflict with neighboring Kosovo.

China “supports Serbia’s efforts to safeguard its sovereignty and territorial integrity, and opposes unilateral actions taken by the Provisional Institutions of Self-Government in Pristina,” Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said in a regular brief in Beijing.

Earlier, Vucic met with the envoys from the US, UK, France, Italy, and Germany, as well as the head of the European Union delegation, and urged Western countries to urgently adopt measures to guarantee the safety of Serbs in Kosovo.

Tensions have gripped Kosovo, with protesters and security forces clashing in the country's northern Serb-dominated municipalities over the election of ethnic Albanian mayors in four municipalities last month.

At least 30 soldiers of the NATO-led international peacekeeping mission in Kosovo (KFOR) were injured in clashes with Serbs who were protesting on Monday and attempting to prevent the newly elected mayor of Zvecan municipality in northern Kosovo from entering town hall to take the oath of office and begin official responsibilities.

Protesters attempted to breach the police cordon in front of the town hall, police said in a statement, adding that they used tear gas to disperse the crowd.

KFOR units also used tear gas and stun grenades to disperse the protesters, who refused to leave and responded with stones and sticks.

According to hospital sources, over 53 civilians were also injured by shock bombs and tear gas.

One person underwent surgery and is in intensive care, said Zlatan Elek, director of the Clinical Hospital Center in Mitrovica, a Serb-dominated municipality that was the scene of clashes.

Police in Kosovo also said that at least five people were detained following the clashes.

Mayoral elections

Last month, Kosovo Serbs boycotted extraordinary local government elections for four municipalities in the country's north. Only 3.47% of eligible voters cast ballots, according to the Kosovo Central Election Commission (KQZ).

After the elections, the EU said in a statement that low turnout did not provide municipalities with long-term political solutions.

As tensions heightened in the region, Serbia ordered its army to advance to the border with Kosovo and urged NATO to “stop the violence against local Serbs in Kosovo.”

Kosovo Serbs on Saturday called on Vucic to suspend the ongoing dialogue process for normalizing relations with Kosovo, whose 2008 independence neighboring Serbia has never recognized.

The EU requires Kosovo and Serbia to reach a final agreement and resolve disputes to progress in their integration into the bloc.