“Serbia, a danger for Kosovo”, the Albanian-American Community letter to Biden, expresses concern about the attack in the north

The tensions and the recent attack in Kosovo have engaged all structures for action and reaction. Thus, the Albanian-American Organization from different parts of the United States sent a letter yesterday to President Joe Biden, where they expressed concern about Serbia’s actions towards Kosovo and demanded that the USA and the EU take measures against its president, Aleksandar Vucic. .

“We are deeply concerned by the ongoing threat posed by Serbia and its president Aleksandar Vučič towards Kosovo and its people”, says the letter signed by about 90 Albanian-American associations and groups, from a wide spectrum. The signatories of the letter ask President Biden for a meeting to discuss the situation.

The letter addressed to President Biden is mainly triggered by the September 24 attack in Banjska in the northern part of Kosovo, where a police officer lost his life, as well as by the large military buildup from Serbia on the border with Kosovo, which the White House itself called “the unprecedented”, calling on Belgrade to withdraw troops from the border. White House Homeland Security spokesman John Kirby said Tuesday that Serbia has begun withdrawing these forces.

“The US and the EU must take measures against President Vucic and prevent him from inciting violence, arming terrorists and threatening his neighbors. “Serbia cannot remain a member of the Western community while simultaneously maintaining close ties with Russia,” the letter states. Albanian-American activists point out the special connection between the United States and Kosovo. “As proud Albanian-Americans, we deeply appreciate the unwavering support of the United States for the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Republic of Kosovo”, the letter states, but it is added that this community is concerned about the role of Serbia, calling the actions as “a clear and present danger to the people, security, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Kosovo”, the letter explains.

The letter mentions the fact that the vice-president of the Serbian List, Milan Radoicic, publicly admitted that he led the September 24 operation, together with Bojan Mijailovic, a bodyguard of the Minister of the Interior Aleksander Vulin, who has been sanctioned by the US Treasury Department. for organized crime, illegal narcotics operations, and facilitating Russia’s malign activities in the Western Balkans. The letter also mentions US Ambassador Jeffrey M. Hovenier’s statement that the attack “was coordinated and sophisticated” that the gunmen appeared to have had military training and that the amount of weapons hinted at a plan “to destabilized security in the region.”

“The terrorist attack is part of a series of attempts to destabilize Kosovo and the region… (It) represents a critical and decisive turning point not only for the region but also for all of Europe.” The authorities in Pristina, the European Union and Western diplomats have demanded that the perpetrators of the attack be brought to justice. Prishtina has accused Belgrade of supporting and equipping the group that carried out the attack.

“Serbia has shown time and time again that it poses a danger to Kosovo, its neighbors and the wider international community. The United States and the European Union can no longer treat Serbia as a reliable partner while it supplies and now harbors heavily armed terrorists,” the letter states. The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Serbia said on Tuesday that it has arrested Milan Radoicic. The President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, has denied any links with the armed group. He has accused official Pristina of inciting violence in the north.