Following the Kosovo Government's decision to ban goods from Serbia, despite the fact that there is a reported lack of Serbian products in the north, Serbian-language media are also claiming a lack of medicines or medical supplies.
Although the media reported on the lack of Serbian products in stores in the north (which had been replaced with alternative products from other countries), Serbian officials and some Serbian-language media claimed to have banned the import of medicines from Serbia.
In addition to the claim of a lack of medicines, the same people also made other claims with unfounded interpretations "as a policy to make life difficult for Serbian citizens in Kosovo and a tendency towards ethnic cleansing."
The Serbian daily "Politika" reported on July 29th about the shortage of Serbian products in the north, including medicines.here)
Serbian Defense Minister Miloš Vučević, in statements made on August 3 and August 11, in addition to claiming a lack of medicines in northern Kosovo, also made an unfounded comparison.
Vučević took as a comparative example the case of the shortage of medicines during the war (1992) in Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Furthermore, Vučević interpreted the shortage of medicines as “the policy of the Kurti regime” which, according to him, is “continuing with the agenda of ethnic cleansing of Kosovo by Serbs”. (here, here)
The Chairman of the Kosovo Committee in the Serbian Parliament, Milovan Drecun, and the former mayor of Zvečan, Dragisa Milović, assessed the claim about the lack of medicines in northern Kosovo as a threat to the lives of Serbs in Kosovo. (here, here, here)
Despite such claims about the ban on the transportation of medicines from Serbia and political interpretations by Serbian officials and Serbian-language media, such a claim was denied.
This denial was made by the United States (US) Ambassador to Kosovo, Jeffrey Hovenier, during an interview with journalists on Wednesday (August 16), after he had collected information from Kosovo Government bodies and Serbian counterparts about the situation with the import of medicines.
He called the claims that Kosovo is not allowing the import of medicines and medical supplies from Serbia a misinterpretation, adding that medicines and medical supplies are imported from Serbia today, in the same way as they were imported before June 14. (here)
"This is a really serious thing and we take it very seriously. So we talked to the authorities, like the Kosovo Government and did our best to get insights from our Serbian counterparts to help us understand the situation and I should be clear that it is our understanding that medicines and medical supplies are being imported from Serbia today, in the same way that they were imported before June 14, when this measure was first imposed."
"We have had a very clear conversation with the Ministry of Health and the MoH does not appear to be aware of any requests for import of medicines or medical supplies to which they have not responded positively."
Furthermore, a report by the Serbian-language information portal "kossev.info" about the situation with medicines in pharmacies in the north states, based on a pharmacist's statement, that there is no shortage of essential medicines, except for those medicines that were already in deficit. (here)
"Right now we have what is required, there is almost nothing missing, except for those medicines that have been in short supply for months. Citizens also come and ask with concern, but they calm down when they see that the situation, at least for now, is completely good."
On June 14, when Serbian authorities arrested three members of the Kosovo Police in the Raška region, the Kosovo Government, which it interpreted as a “kidnapping” in the Leposavic municipality, decided to ban “for security, not economic reasons” the import of goods from Serbia.
Although the media emphasized that the Government never published a written document regarding this decision, and several international officials urged the Kosovo executive to withdraw the decision, Pristina still continues to implement the decision to ban the import of goods from Serbia in practice.
As a result, as reported in the media, for the first time in the post-war period, in North Mitrovica, a Serb-majority municipality in northern Kosovo, there are almost no products from Serbia. The lack of these products is also noticeable in other municipalities in Kosovo. (here)
Analyze:
From the fact-checking and analysis, it results that the claim made by Serbian officials and some Serbian-language media outlets about the ban on the import of medicines from Serbia has been misinterpreted.
Furthermore, US Ambassador Jeffrey Hovenier has denied this claim, after gathering information about the situation from Kosovo government officials and Serbian counterparts.
Based on its work methodology, hibrid.info considers these claims to be "misinformation".
Rating:
A “Disinformation” rating is given to media reporting that contains a “mix” of inaccurate sources or even half-truthful content. This rating will also address reports that have incorrect attributions or headlines that do not reflect the text in terms of information accuracy.