The head of the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) has warned the Security Council of "increased tensions in Kosovo and the region" over the past six months, whilst welcoming emerging signs that the country's institutional deadlock is easing.
Presenting the UN secretary-general's latest report in New York, Peter Due noted that despite peaceful, inclusive parliamentary elections on June 7—the third vote in 16 months—the period was marked by "political uncertainty and heightened rhetoric."
Due welcomed the election around midnight on 6 October of Justina Shiroka-Pula as President of Kosovo, making her the third woman to assume the role.
"Political disagreement is part of the fabric of democratic life, but prolonged institutional deadlock carries consequences. The formation of the institutions is therefore encouraging," Due said, observing that the prolonged political impasse "seems to have been broken."
Calls for accountability
Insisting that "accountability remains essential to building trust," Due urged authorities in Belgrade and Pristina to cooperate fully in prosecuting those responsible for the 2023 Banjska attack and the 2024 strike on the Iber-Lepenc water canal.
He stressed that tangible progress requires genuine commitment from both parties in the European Union-facilitated dialogue.
"Our shared responsibility is to work for reconciliation and normalisation, so that all communities in Kosovo can participate fully and confidently in public life, with respect for the rule of law, human rights and Kosovo’s multiethnic character," Due added.
Addressing the Council, Kosovo Foreign Minister Glauk Konjufca defended the country's record, stating that "Kosovo continues to remain one of the most stable democracies in southeastern Europe."
Konjufca rejected allegations within the report, criticising "the misuse of ethnic connotations and fabrications" and accusing critics of misrepresenting standard law-enforcement measures as ethnically motivated violations.
