PRISTINA, Kosovo (AP) - Kosovo temporarily banned Serbian officials from entering the country, triggering an angry reaction from Belgrade on Thursday.

Kosovo’s Foreign Ministry said it took the action because of “Serbia’s threats against Kosovo and continuous propaganda” and that all entry requests from Serbian officials “will be rejected as long as this behavior continues.”

The move comes after Serbian officials claimed Kosovo’s government was trying to create a “humanitarian crisis” in the country’s Serb-populated north with a 100% import tax slapped on Serbian goods last year.

Kosovo Serb shop owners closed their stores in northern Kosovo for two days this week to protest the taxes.

Kosovo Foreign Ministry spokesman Jetlir Zyberaj said the closures took place “because of Belgrade’s political objectives.”

Serbia does not recognize the 2008 independence declaration of Kosovo, a former Serbian province.

Serbian Defense Minister Aleksandar Vulin said the latest entry ban was an attempt to “cut all ties” between Kosovo Serbs and “their” Serbian leadership, and “this simply won’t be allowed to happen.”

Using the derogatory term in Serbia for ethnic Albanians, Vulin said the Kosovo government’s ban was “not politics, but retaliation.”

Serb officials need entry permits from Pristina to visit Kosovo, but have sometimes managed to enter using alternative routes through forests. </s> Kosovo has banned Serbian officials from its territory over their “constant propaganda and false news,” heating up the latest diplomatic battle between the two sides.

Belgrade officials will not be allowed “to visit Kosovo and all requests will be rejected as long as this behavior continues,” AFP said, citing officials in Kosovo.

In May, the breakaway province also banned Serbia’s Prime Minister Ana Brnabic after accusing her of making “racist” comments against Albanians, which she denied. </s> Kosovo has temporarily banned Serbian officials from entering the country, triggering an angry reaction from Belgrade.

Kosovo's Foreign Ministry said Thursday that because of "Serbia's threats against Kosovo and continuous propaganda" all requests by Serbian officials "will be rejected as long as this behavior continues."

The move comes after Serbian officials claimed Kosovo's government was trying to create a "humanitarian crisis" in the country's Serb-populated north with a 100% import tax slapped on Serbian goods last year.

Serbia does not recognize the 2008 independence declaration of Kosovo, a former Serbian province.

Serbian Defense Minister Aleksandar Vulin says the entry ban is an attempt to "cut ties" between Kosovo Serbs and Serbia, and "this simply won't be allowed to happen."

Serb officials need entry permits from Pristina to visit Kosovo. </s> PRISTINA, Kosovo (AP) - Kosovo has temporarily banned Serbian officials from entering the country, triggering an angry reaction from Belgrade.

Kosovo's Foreign Ministry said Thursday that because of "Serbia's threats against Kosovo and continuous propaganda" all requests by Serbian officials "will be rejected as long as this behavior continues."

The move comes after Serbian officials claimed Kosovo's government was trying to create a "humanitarian crisis" in the country's Serb-populated north with a 100% import tax slapped on Serbian goods last year.

Serbia does not recognize the 2008 independence declaration of Kosovo, a former Serbian province.

Serbian Defense Minister Aleksandar Vulin says the entry ban is an attempt to "cut ties" between Kosovo Serbs and Serbia, and "this simply won't be allowed to happen."

Serb officials need entry permits from Pristina to visit Kosovo.

In this photo taken Monday, April 23, 2018, Serbia Defense Minister Aleksandar Vulin, right, walks behind Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic in Belgrade, Serbia. Kosovo has temporarily banned Serbian officials from entering the country, triggering angry reaction from Belgrade. Vulin says the latest ban is an attempt to "cut ties" between Kosovo Serbs and Serbia. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)

In this photo taken Friday, Sept. 7, 2018, a car passes by a billboard that reads: '"Welcome, President" and shows Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, near village of Lesak in northern Kosovo. Kosovo has temporarily banned Serbian officials from entering the country, triggering angry reaction from Belgrade. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic) </s> Kosovo on Thursday announced to ban Serbian officials from entering the country.

Announcing the decision, Jetlir Zyberaj, political adviser to the Kosovo Foreign Minister, said the ban on Serbian officials was being imposed, due to the neighboring country’s involvement in hybrid threats against Kosovo.

"Because of the hybrid threats from Serbia that included the constant propaganda and the dissemination of fake news about the country and our citizens... the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will not allow any Belgrade official to visit Kosovo and all requests will be rejected till they continue with this behavior," wrote Zyberaj.

He also mentioned Serbia’s recent efforts to prevent the so-called humanitarian crisis in the north of Kosovo and threatening the Serb population and forcing them to shut down businesses as other issues that have pushed relations between the two countries to the brink.

Kosovo had declared independence from Serbia in 2008. But Belgrade still insists that the country was part of Serbia. The tensions have also persisted between Kosovo’s ethnic-Albanian majority and a small Serb minority in the north.

Kosovo’s independence has been recognized by over 100 countries, including the U.S., Britain, France, Germany and Turkey. Those who have not yet recognized its independence, included Serbia, Russia, and China.

This article has been adapted from its original source. </s> PRISTINA -- Kosovo’s government has denied there was a ban on Serbian officials entering the country, contradicting the Foreign Ministry and deepening confusion in Pristina.

 

 The comment July 5 by spokeswoman Donjeta Gashi came one day after an adviser to Foreign Minister Behgjet Pacolli announced that no officials from Serbia would be allowed to enter Kosovo.

 

 The adviser, Jetlir Zyberaj, said in a statement posted to Facebook July 4 that the ban was a response to "constant propaganda and false news about the country and our citizens."

But Gashi told RFE/RL on July 5 no such measure had been imposed.

 

 “The government of Kosovo has not issued any decision which bans Serbian officials on entering Kosovo,” she said.

 

 There was no immediate reaction to Gashi’s comment from the Foreign Ministry, or from Zyberaj.

 

 Tensions between Belgrade and Pristina have been strained since the 1999 NATO-led air war that led to Kosovo’s breaking away from Serbia and ultimately declaring independence, something Belgrade has refused to recognize.

 

 European Union-mediated talks have failed to settle the two countries’ differences.

 

 In recent months, those tensions have escalated further, as Kosovo imposed a 100-percent tariff on all Serbian goods in November.

Belgrade has claimed that the tariffs created a humanitarian crisis in Kosovo’s north, but Pristina insists that goods coming from Serbia have been replaced by imports from other countries in recent months.

On July 3, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said that Serbia was using mountain roads to send goods to northern Kosovo to avoid having to pay the import tax.

In May, Kosovo banned Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic, accusing her of making "racist" comments against Albanians, which she denied. </s> Kosovo has banned Serbian officials from its territory over their "constant propaganda and false news", a foreign ministry official said Thursday, heating up the latest diplomatic battle between the former war foes

Pristina, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - APP - 4th Jul, 2019 ) :Kosovo has banned Serbian officials from its territory over their "constant propaganda and false news", a foreign ministry official said Thursday, heating up the latest diplomatic battle between the former war foes.

Serbia and its former province Kosovo, which is mainly ethnic Albanian, still have a bitter and frequently tense relationship two decades after Kosovo broke away and went on to declare independence.

Belgrade has never accepted that move and the neighbours frequently clash on the diplomatic stage.

"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will not allow any Belgrade official to visit Kosovo and all requests will be rejected as long as this behaviour continues," Jetlir Zyberaj, advisor to the foreign minister, wrote in Facebook post on Thursday.

He said the move was a response to "constant propaganda and false news about the country and our citizens".

He also accused Belgrade of trying to create a "so-called humanitarian crisis in the north of Kosovo, threatening the Serb population living there".

The north of Kosovo, which has a significant ethnic Serb population that remains loyal to Belgrade, has been protesting in recent days over a tariff that has cut off the flow of Serbian goods to the region.

Belgrade claims that that the 100 percent tariff on Serbian goods has led to a food and medicine shortage in the area.

But Pristina accuses its neighbour of "manufacturing" the crisis, explaining that food from Kosovo is widely available in the area and opening up special sale points for food and other goods.

While Pristina officials almost never visit Serbia, Belgrade officials, especially those in charge of Kosovo, regularly make trips to Serb communities in the former province.

In May, Kosovo also banned Serbia's Prime Minister Ana Brnabic after accusing of her of making "racist" comments against Albanians, which she denied.

The neighbours need to normalise ties in order to move forward with EU accession dreams.

But they are locked in a stalemate.

Kosovo says it will not lift the tariffs until Belgrade recognises its independence, while Serbia won't talk until the levy is dropped. </s> PRISTINA -- Kosovo has banned all Serbian officials from entering the country, in another escalation of relations between Serbia and its former province.

Pristina "will not allow any official from Belgrade to visit Kosovo," Jetlir Zyberaj, an adviser to Kosovo’s foreign minister, posted to his Facebook page on July 4.

Zyberaj said the move was a response to "constant propaganda and false news about the country and our citizens."

He also accused Belgrade of trying to create a "so-called humanitarian crisis” in Serb-dominated northern Kosovo.

Serbian lawmaker Miroslav Lazanski of the coalition led by the Serbian Progressive Party described Kosovo’s move as "a serious step in deteriorating relations” between Belgrade and Pristina.

He also said that Serbia could take a similar action toward Kosovar officials.

Kosovo, which is mainly ethnic Albanian, declared independence in 2008. Although more than 110 countries recognize Kosovo, Belgrade does not.

EU-mediated talks between Pristina and Belgrade to settle their differences have stalled, and the neighbors frequently clash on the diplomatic stage.

Tensions between the two neighbors exacerbated after Kosovo imposed a 100 percent tariff on all Serbian goods in November.

Belgrade has claimed that the tariffs created a humanitarian crisis in Kosovo’s north, but Pristina insists that goods coming from Serbia have been replaced by imports from other countries in recent months.

On July 3, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said that Serbia is using "alternative" mountain tracks to send goods to northern Kosovo to avoid having to pay the import tax.

In May, Kosovo banned Serbia's Prime Minister Ana Brnabic after accusing of her of making "racist" comments against Albanians, which she denied.

With reporting by AFP, dpa, and Reuters </s> PRISTINA: Kosovo has banned Serbian officials from its territory over their "constant propaganda and false news", a foreign ministry official said Thursday, heating up the latest diplomatic battle between the former war foes.

Serbia and its former province Kosovo, which is mainly ethnic Albanian, still have a bitter and frequently tense relationship two decades after Kosovo broke away and went on to declare independence.

Belgrade has never accepted that move and the neighbours frequently clash on the diplomatic stage. "The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will not allow any Belgrade official to visit Kosovo and all requests will be rejected as long as this behaviour continues," Jetlir Zyberaj, advisor to the foreign minister, wrote in Facebook post on Thursday.

He said the move was a response to "constant propaganda and false news about the country and our citizens". He also accused Belgrade of trying to create a "so-called humanitarian crisis in the north of Kosovo, threatening the Serb population living there".

The north of Kosovo, which has a significant ethnic Serb population that remains loyal to Belgrade, has been protesting in recent days over a tariff that has cut off the flow of Serbian goods to the region.

Belgrade claims that that the 100 percent tariff on Serbian goods has led to a

food and medicine shortage in the area. But Pristina accuses its neighbour of "manufacturing" the crisis, explaining that food from Kosovo is widely available in the area and opening up special sale points for food and other goods.
Amid a deterioration in relations, Kosovo bans all Serbian officials from entering the country, in response to "constant propaganda and false news about the country and our citizens" from Belgrade.