In connection with the raid, the minister of local self-government in the Kosovo government, Elbert Krasnici, announced that five parallel municipalities had been closed. Krasniqi wrote on his Facebook page that the parallel municipalities will no longer function: the district of Kosovska Mitrovica, the parallel municipality of Mitrovica, as well as the municipalities of Zvečan, Zubin Potok and Leposavic. "Today, after close coordination between the institutions of the Republic of Kosovo, the parallel illegal institutions of local self-government were closed, which operated according to the directives of Serbia, violating the constitutionality and laws of the Republic of Kosovo, wrote Krasniqi.
The Kosovo minister, who comes from the ranks of Kosovo's minority community parties, said that "the institutions of the Republic of Kosovo offer services to all citizens, regardless of their affiliation." "They are the right address for all requests and needs of our citizens. We remain committed to providing as many services of the highest quality as possible. Citizens, without any distinction, have a precise address where they can receive municipal services, and it is clear for parallel entities that they cannot operate outside the legal framework of the Republic of Kosovo. There is no place for illegal operations and parallel services in any area of our Republic," Krasniqi was adamant.
Meanwhile, a statement by the Kosovo police said the raid took place in five buildings. The deputy police director for the northern region, Veton Elshani, said fake documents were issued in the offices that were closed today. Protesting the police action in the north, Serbian politician Aleksandar Arsenijevic said Serbian citizens were afraid of the presence of Kosovo police. "What will we do without the social work centre, without the municipal public enterprise, without other institutions of vital importance to Serbs that offer protection and assistance to citizens who need it," Arsenijevic said. He urged Serbs "not to fall victim to provocations because this is what the authorities in Pristina demand".
A few months ago, Kosovo authorities closed seven other parallel municipalities - in Prizren, Peć, Suva Reka, Iztok, Klina, Rahovec and Dragash. | BGNES
