Riga (EFE) – Serbia has become a proxy for Russian influence in southeastern Europe and is solely responsible for ongoing tensions with Kosovo, President Vjosa Osmani-Sadriu said Tuesday during her official visit to Latvia.
“Serbia has turned into a proxy state of Russia, politically, economically, and militarily,” Osmani-Sadriu told reporters at a joint press conference with Latvian President Edgars Rinkēvičs in Riga. “Through Serbia, Russia attempts to create a destabilizing spillover effect in Europe. The more destabilized the region, the more it serves Russia’s interests.”
Kosovo, a former Serbian province with an ethnic Albanian majority, declared independence in 2008, a move Belgrade does not recognize.
Osmani-Sadriu emphasized that Serbia continues to provoke instability in Kosovo, while her government focuses on defense and deterrence in cooperation with European and NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) allies.
“We will work closely with our allies in the European Union and NATO to deter and prevent destabilization efforts by Russia carried out through Serbia,” she said. “So far, we have successfully thwarted every single provocation from these malign actors.”
“Aggressor and victim are not the same”
The Kosovan leader rejected attempts to portray the conflict as symmetrical, insisting that Serbia was the aggressor.
“We should never put the aggressor and the victim in the same sack,” she said. “Serbia constantly tries to destabilize our country through acts of aggression, and we constantly defend ourselves.”
Her remarks came as tensions remain high in northern Kosovo, where ethnic Serbs have frequently clashed with authorities.
The region has seen a surge in incidents, including attacks on Kosovo police and NATO peacekeepers.
Both leaders acknowledged the presence of approximately 140 Latvian troops serving on a rotational basis in KFOR, the NATO-led peacekeeping mission in Kosovo.
EU membership on the horizon
President Rinkēvičs expressed Latvia’s full support for Kosovo’s aspirations to join the European Union.
“Kosovo is going through various reforms and working to gain support from all EU member states,” he said. “The day Kosovo becomes a candidate country is approaching, but there is still work to be done, both internally and in foreign policy.”
Osmani-Sadriu, who has served as president since 2021, stated that Kosovo remains committed to reform and fulfilling EU membership requirements.
“We believe in the transformative power of the European Union and remain committed to meeting all criteria,” she said. “However, this path must be guided by fairness, equal treatment, and credibility on the EU’s part.”
Occupation Museum and NATO STRATCOM visit
During her visit to Riga, Osmani-Sadriu also toured the Museum of the Occupation of Latvia, which documents the country’s experiences under Soviet and Nazi rule.
Later, she was scheduled to visit the NATO Strategic Communications Centre of Excellence (STRATCOM), which researches on disinformation and strategic communications.
Kosovo’s government has frequently raised concerns about Russian-backed disinformation campaigns in the Balkans, particularly targeting Kosovo’s legitimacy and security. EFE
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