Wrote: Fatbardh Dema
Kosovo Police yesterday (August 5) NOTICE that through an action it closed nine Serbian Post facilities in the north, earlier in the day.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, through a press conference, spoke about this event, claiming that Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti is trying to provoke a conflict and that according to him, he is doing it in an organized manner with the support of several Western powers.
What's wrong with this claim of Vučić?
The Embassy of the United States of America (US) in Kosovo and the European Union have assessed the action of the Kosovo authorities to close nine Serbian Post offices in northern Kosovo as a unilateral and uncoordinated action.
Vučić's statement at a press conference broadcast by Tanjug.rs
"Kurti's behavior is an attempt to provoke a war conflict. We do not want war, we want to preserve peace, but he is doing it deliberately, in an organized manner and with the support of some Western powers," said Vučić, when asked how he comments on Kurti's government's pressure on Serbs and their intimidating arrests on Saturday and today's raids on the facilities of the Serbian Post in northern Kosovo. (see here)
What did the US Embassy in Kosovo say?
The United States Government is deeply disappointed by the unilateral and uncoordinated actions taken by the Government of Kosovo against Serbian post offices in northern Kosovo.
Kosovo's uncoordinated actions put Kosovo citizens and KFOR soldiers at greater risk, unnecessarily escalate regional tensions and undermine Kosovo's reputation as a reliable international partner.
We call on the government of Kosovo to cease any further unilateral actions and return to constructive engagement in the EU-facilitated dialogue to resolve issues related to the normalization of relations between Kosovo and Serbia. (see here)
What did the European Union say?
The European Union has reacted after the closure of nine branches of the Serbian Post Office in northern Kosovo, calling it a unilateral action by the Kosovo authorities.
Statement to the media by the EU spokesperson, Peter Stano:
"The European Union considers today's closure of nine branches of the Serbian Post in northern Kosovo by the Kosovo authorities as a unilateral and uncoordinated action, which violates the agreements reached under the EU-facilitated dialogue. As part of the agreements on Telecommunications reached in 2013 and the Action Plan agreed in 2015, both sides agreed to discuss postal services 'at a later stage', thus acknowledging that the issue could be addressed within the framework of the dialogue," the statement said. (see here)
context
Kosovo Police announced yesterday (August 5) that they had closed nine Serbian Post facilities in the north through an operation earlier in the day.
In North Mitrovica and Leposavic, three facilities have been closed, in Zvecan two, and one in Zubin Potok, reports Radio Free Europe.
The Deputy Director of the Kosovo Police for the northern region, Veton Elshani, said that the action was initiated after information received from the Regulatory Authority for Electronic and Postal Communications (ARKEP) that economic operators are operating in the territory of Kosovo without a license and who are not registered with the Kosovo Business Registration Agency (ARBK). (see here)
The Regulatory Authority for Electronic and Postal Communications (ARKEP) has announced that the Serbian Post operates illegally in Kosovo. (see here)
Analyze:
Serbian President Vučić, through a press conference, spoke about yesterday's (August 5) action to close nine Serbian Post facilities in the north, claiming that Kurti Kurti is trying to provoke a conflict and that according to him, he is doing it in an organized manner with the support of some Western powers. However, this statement of his does not hold true.
The US Embassy in Kosovo and the European Union have assessed this action as a unilateral and uncoordinated action by the Kosovo authorities to close nine Serbian Post offices in northern Kosovo.
Based on the working methodology, hibrid.info assesses the claim made by Vučić as "False statement".
Reasoning:
Checking and evaluating statements
In the category of truthfulness, those statements that contain statements related to objective facts, the accuracy of which can be determined through objective verification, are evaluated. Statements treated in this category receive the assessment – false statement, half-truth, or even true statement.