Serbia and Kosovo live, this Sunday, tense moments on the border of Zarinja and Branjak.
Serb residents in Kosovo blocked the road with trucks at the Lebozavic Municipality border post. Kosovo police announced that the border crossings at those two locations were closed to traffic and advised citizens to use other routes. The Serbian government denies that the army entered Kosovo.
The rise in tension stems from a new measure that will take effect this Monday, August 1, that will force some 50,000 Serbs living in the north to use registration plates and documents issued by Serbian authorities, refusing to recognize Pristina companies. Use documents issued by the Kosovar government. Kosovo is recognized as an independent state by more than 100 countries, but not by Serbia or Russia.
Prime Minister Albin Kurdi’s government said it would give Serbs 60 days from August 1 to get Kosovo registration plates, a year after they abandoned efforts to enforce them amid similar protests. The government also decided that starting August 1, all Serbian citizens visiting Kosovo will have to obtain an additional document at the border to be granted an entry permit.
A similar rule is applied by Belgrade authorities to Kosovars visiting Serbia.
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