Novak Djokovic in French Open 2023© AFP
NATO-led peacekeepers on Monday dispersed Serb protesters who again clashed with police in northern Kosovo to demand the removal of recently elected Albanian mayors, as ethnic tensions flared in the Balkan nation. Around 25 soldiers were injured during the clashes, along with over 50 demonstrators. Kosovo’s Serbs had boycotted last month’s elections in the northern towns, which allowed ethnic Albanians to take control of local councils despite a minuscule turnout of under 3.5 percent of voters.
Kosovo’s Prime Minister Albin Kurti’s government officially installed the mayors last week, defying calls to ease the tensions by the European Union and the United States, which have both championed the territory’s 2008 independence from Serbia.
“I am not a politician and I have no intention to engage in political debates, it is a very sensitive topic,” added Djokovic.
“Of course it hurts me very much as a Serb to see what is happening in Kosovo and the way our people have been practically expelled from the municipal offices, so the least I could do was this.
“As a public figure but also a son of a man who was born in Kosovo I feel additional responsibility to express my support to our people and Serbia as a whole.
“I have no remorse and would do it again as my stance is clear. I am against war, violence and conflict of any kind and I have always publicly shown that. Of course I have sympathy for all people but what is happening with Kosovo is a precedent in international law.”
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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