NATO peacekeepers keep watch over a road block in northern Kosovo as tensions escalate.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
Switzerland has been hosting discreet meetings between officials of Kosovo and Serbia in an effort to defuse tensions in the Balkan region.
This content was published on
2 minutes
swissinfo.ch/mga
A stand-off has developed in northern Kosovo with its Serbian neighbours as an incident over car number plates has escalated.
Members of the local Kosovar police force resigned en masse and truck drivers have blockaded roads in the region that has a majority Serb population.
The NZZ am Sonntag newspaper reports that the Swiss foreign ministry has arranged a number of secret talks between the two countries. The content of these discreet meetings has not been made public.
But Switzerland is employing its traditional good offices role in an effort to find agreement in the dispute.
Since 1999, Switzerland has been involved in NATO’s international peacekeeping mission Kosovo Force (KFOR) in Kosovo. There are currently 195 Swiss soldiers in the region.
But the foreign ministry believes diplomacy is the right tool to alleviate the current situation that has seen gunfire exchanged during isolated flashpoints.
Swiss parliamentarian Franz Grüter, who is due to visit the region on a fact-finding mission, told the newspaper that the stand-off resembles that of Russia and Ukraine.
“It cannot be ruled out that the same thing will happen in the Balkans and that Serbia will invade Kosovo with the support of Russia,” he said.
But former Swiss ambassador to Kosovo (2016-2020), Jean-Hubert Lebet, is not so alarmed. “As ambassador, I experienced such Serbian provocations several times,” he said. “It was a bluff every time and I don’t see why it should be any different this time.”
The risk of a large-scale action would be too great for Serbia, said Lebet. “NATO would strike back immediately and Serbia would lose any prospect of EU integration.”
Popular Stories
More
Swiss Abroad
The citizenship obstacle course facing spouses of Swiss Abroad
Ski camps in Switzerland reached record level in 2024
This content was published on
Almost 130,000 children and young people in Switzerland took part in a winter sports camp in 2024 - the highest number in 20 years.
Cable car in canton Valais replaces bridge destroyed by storms
This content was published on
Starting Monday, a cable car will operate in Val de Bagnes in Canton Valais to replace a bridge that was washed away in storms last summer.
Swiss president: Vance speech a ‘plea for direct democracy’
This content was published on
Swiss President Karin Keller-Sutter has described US Vice President JD Vance’s speech at the Security Conference in Munich as a “plea for direct democracy”.
Switzerland honours world’s first female professor
This content was published on
Swiss-Russian academic Anna Tumarkin was the world's first fully qualified female professor. She would have been 150 years old today.
Council of Europe warns against excluding Ukraine and Europe from peace talks
This content was published on
The Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Alain Berset, has warned against the exclusion of Ukraine and Europe from peace negotiations.
Switzerland records fewer illegal medicine imports
This content was published on
Last year, the Federal Office for Customs and Border Security seized 15% fewer illegal imports of medicine than the previous year.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Swiss keep an eye on tensions in Kosovo
This content was published on
Things are tense in northern Kosovo as a deadline approaches for Serbs to swap their Belgrade-issued number plates for local ones.
Government wants to extend Swisscoy mission to 2026
This content was published on
If parliamentarians agree, Switzerland’s contribution to the NATO-led peacekeeping mission in Kosovo will be extended by another three years.
Former Swiss prosecutor ‘targeted by Serbian assassins’
This content was published on
Ex-Swiss prosecutor Dick Marty has been under armed guard for two years following death threats he believes originate from Serbia.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.