The European Union (EU) has again called on Serbia to take immediate steps to bring to justice those suspected of being responsible for the deadly attack in the village of Banjska in northern Kosovo in the fall of 2023.
"We have taken into account the announcement of the High Prosecutor's Office in Belgrade on December 2, 2024, to open an investigation into this case," a spokesman for the bloc said on Friday.
He added that Serbia is obliged to cooperate in the investigations into the Banjska case.
On September 24, 2023, a group of armed Serbs attacked the Kosovo Police in Banjska, Zvečan, killing one Kosovo police officer. In the ensuing exchange of fire, three more Serb attackers were killed.
Kosovo blames Serbia for this attack, which denies involvement.
Responsibility for the attack was claimed by Milan Radoicic, former vice-president of the Serbian List, the largest Serb party in Kosovo that enjoys the support of Belgrade.
In September last year, the Kosovo Special Prosecution Office filed indictments against 45 people - among them Milan Radoićić - for the armed attack in Banjska.
Authorities in Serbia refuse to extradite Radoicic to Kosovo and say he will be tried by "Serbian courts," while officials in Kosovo say they have offered him protection.
In December, the chief prosecutor of the High Public Prosecutor's Office in Belgrade, Nenad Stefanović, said that the decision to file an indictment against Radoićić would be made by early 2025.
In Serbia, Radoićić is suspected of other criminal offenses, namely "serious crime against general security and illegal production, possession and trafficking of weapons."
Meanwhile, the EU spokesman reiterated on Friday that for Serbia, progress in talks for membership in the European bloc will also depend on progress in normalizing relations with Kosovo and on the rule of law. /REL (A2 Televizion)
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