Kosovo’s acting Deputy Prime Minister, Besnik Bislimi, denied on Tuesday that the Kosovar authorities are targeting health institutions run by Serbia in the country’s north—an area predominantly populated by Serbs.
In a statement on his personal X account, Bislimi said that Kosovo “is not targeting even those illegal ones created by Serbia [no one actually understands the legal meaning of the commonly used term ‘Serbia-run institutions in Kosovo’].”
Bislimi’s response came after international criticism over the suspension of operations of the Health Insurance Fund and the Disability and Pension Insurance Fund, which operate under Serbia’s system, in North Mitrovica on September 12.
Germany, in particular, issued an “urgent” call for Kosovo to refrain from “targeting” Serbia-run health institutions on Kosovar territory, following the European Union’s earlier request for the caretaker government and other relevant institutions “to refrain from such provocations and harmful actions, and to consult with the local Serb community and international partners.”
Serbia condemned the suspension of the fund’s work as an “unacceptable and inhumane act.”
However, Bislimi—who also serves as Kosovo’s chief negotiator in the dialogue with Serbia in Brussels—insisted on Tuesday that Kosovo is working on a solution to integrate these institutions into its legal framework, “ensuring no interruption in the provision of healthcare services and maximum accommodation of medical staff.”
“Local trade inspectors have temporarily shut down the activities of a fund that was unlawfully issuing receipts and carrying out transactions, until the relevant documentation is submitted,” Bislimi said.
He also accused Serbia of “manipulating public opinion through the mass production of fake news.”