Serbia stops buses from Kosovo at border crossings

European Union spokesman Peter Stano said in statement that the bloc was aware of the situation and that Serbia's move constituted a violation of an agreement on freedom of movement between Belgrade and Pristina. Also on Wednesday, Kurti's advisor Jeton Zulfaj said Serbian police detained deputy director of the Kosovo police Dejan Jankovic, an ethnic Serb.

At least six buses from Kosovo, have been halted for hours by Serbian police at a border crossing with neighbouring Croatia, before being allowed on Wednesday to continue their journeys, a move stoking tensions between Belgrade and Pristina. The passengers from buses that arrived at the crossing late on Tuesday said they had their documents taken for checks and were left to wait.

The buses were allowed to enter Serbia and proceed to Kosovo on Wednesday afternoon, after a wait of almost 20 hours, said Gazmend Zhitia, a passenger. "They (police) were focused on some checks of Albanians over the war which was in 1999," Zhitia said.

The most recent flare-up between Belgrade and Pristina coincided with the decision of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) to recommend that Kosovo should be invited to become a member of the Council of Europe, a top European human rights body. In a statement on social media platform X, Kosovo's Prime Minister Albin Kurti called the move a retaliation.

"A day after PACE voted in favor of Kosovo's membership in CoE, Serbia retaliates against Kosovo civilians," he said. In statement, the Serbian Interior Ministry said the police did not detain anyone or try to prevent entry and passage to Kosovo citizens, but that controls and security checks have been tightened which led to longer waits.

"All citizens from... Kosovo are allowed unimpeded entry," the statement said. European Union spokesman Peter Stano said in statement that the bloc was aware of the situation and that Serbia's move constituted a violation of an agreement on freedom of movement between Belgrade and Pristina.

Also on Wednesday, Kurti's advisor Jeton Zulfaj said Serbian police detained deputy director of the Kosovo police Dejan Jankovic, an ethnic Serb. Zulfaj said Jankovic was taken to Serbia's southwestern town of Raska for questioning. Serbian police could not be immediately reached for comment.

Kosovo, which has an ethnic Albanian majority, declared independence from Serbia in 2008 after a guerrilla uprising and a 1999 NATO intervention. Serbia, backed by its ally Russia, China and five EU members, is opposing Kosovo's independence and membership in international organisations.

Belgrade and Pristina have spent years in talks mediated by the EU to normalise their relations, but the progress is slow and marred by crises and flare-ups of violence.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)