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US ex-special envoy slams PM of unrecognized Kosovo

According to Richard Grenell, the people of the republic deserve a leader who seeks to create jobs, not war

NEW YORK, August 1. /TASS/. Richard Grenell, the ex-special envoy of the US for Serbia and Kosovo Peace Negotiations, criticized Prime Minister of unrecognized Kosovo Albin Kurti.

"I have many friends in Kosovo who are very angry with Kurti," Grenell tweeted. "The people deserve a leader who wants jobs not conflict. Kosovo deserves better," he wrote.

"Kurti is causing these conflicts with his unilateral move to ban Serbian IDs and license plates," the ex-official noted. "This isn’t about the past - no one side is always right or always wrong. This is about Albin Kurti making unilateral moves to reject Serbian IDs and license plates inside Kosovo," Grenell added.

The situation in Kosovo and Metohija deteriorated dramatically on Sunday evening after Kosovo’s police had closed the checkpoint at the border with Serbia. In response, Serbs in the north of Kosovo took to the streets and blocked key highways. Police and the Kosovo Force (KFOR), a NATO-led international peacekeeping force in Kosovo, were pulled to the bridge across the Ibar River, which links Kosovska Mitrovica’s northern and southern parts.

The Kosovo Cabinet later postponed the decision to ban Serbian documents for one month until September 1, 2022.