U.S. Senators: Disappointed by the unilateral decision of the Government of Kosovo to access municipal buildings in the north with the use of force

U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen and Pete Ricketts, chairman and member of the Senate Subcommittee on Foreign Relations for Europe and Regional Security Cooperation, said they were disappointed with the unilateral decision of the Government of Kosovo to access municipal buildings in the north of Kosovo using unnecessary force and called on Serbia and Kosovo to take urgent measures to de-escalate the situation in the north of Kosovo.

"We are very concerned by the significant deterioration in the security situation in Northern Kosovo. We are disappointed by the government of Kosovo’s unilateral decision to access municipal buildings in Northern Kosovo using unnecessary force. The escalation in violence has resulted in serious and unacceptable injuries of peacekeepers from NATO’s Kosovo Force. We condemn the violence and call on the governments of Kosovo and Serbia to take immediate action to deescalate the situation. Kosovo and Serbia are on the precipice of advancing their diplomatic and economic relations with each other and with Europe, but members of Congress and the international community are growing increasingly concerned by the alarming backsliding in progress. The leaders of both countries must act in the best long-term interests of their respective nations rather than allow continued disputes to impede peace and stability and, consequentially, their EU membership aspirations,” said Shaheen and Ricketts.

Senators from the ranks of Democrats and Republicans issued a joint statement in March about the temporary agreement reached between Serbia and Kosovo.

In April, Shaheen visited Kosovo and Serbia as part of the visit of the delegation of the U.S. Congress to the Balkans, which also included a visit to Bosnia and Herzegovina.

At the initiative of Senator Shaheen, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee held a hearing on the Western Balkans earlier this month, which followed her renewed bipartisan push to advance legislation that would promote cooperation between the U.S. and the Western Balkans.