EU condemns shooting of 2 Serbians in Kosovo on Orthodox Christmas Eve

By Talha Ozturk

BELGRADE, Serbia (AA) - The EU on Saturday condemned the shooting of a Serbian boy and a young man in Kosovo on Orthodox Christmas Eve.

"The European Union firmly condemns the shooting of a child and a young man in Kosovo. Important that authorities will fully investigate this despicable crime and justice is exerted," European Commission spokesman Peter Stano said on Twitter.

A Serbian boy and a young man were shot and wounded on Friday in southern Kosovo by Albanian extremists on Orthodox Christmas Eve.

The Serbian government's office for Kosovo demanded urgent and decisive action from the international community over the incident.

The Serbian Orthodox Church celebrates Christmas on Jan. 7 for three days under the Gregorian calendar. Orthodox Christian Serbs in Kosovo gather in front of local churches on Christmas Eve to light yule logs before a midnight service.

Kosovar police later announced that a 33-year-old man who is a member of the Kosovo Security Forces was detained as a suspect in the attack.

- Tensions with Serbia

Kosovo, predominantly inhabited by Albanians, broke away from Serbia in 1999 and declared independence in 2008. But Serbia has not recognized the move and sees its former province as part of its territory.

Tensions have been simmering between the two Balkan countries, though they appeared to ease somewhat following the removal of barricades blocking the main border crossing between them.

Earlier, there had been a row about license plates, with the government in Pristina demanding ethnic Serbs surrender Serbian-issued vehicle license plates to replace them with plates issued by Kosovo.

The European Union, NATO, and the US have called for de-escalation, while Serbia has requested to deploy its army and police based on a UN resolution.