Serbia releases three Kosovo police officers at Hungarian request

Local television quoted the foreign minister as saying that Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic had just informed the Hungarian Prime Minister, Viktor Orban, that his authorities would soon release the three previously detained Kosovo policemen.

Orban, in his words, praised the president’s actions at a time of serious problems, which is a clear confirmation of the deep friendship between the Serbian and Hungarian peoples and the strategic cooperation between the two countries.

On June 13, the Serbian media reported that representatives of the country’s law enforcement agencies detained three members of the Kosovo Special Armed Forces in the central part of the country.

Those arrested were allegedly in possession of handguns, automatic rifles, surveillance equipment, walkie-talkies, maps and navigation systems.

The situation escalated in the northern Kosovo Serb municipalities and Metohija on 26 May after the Kosovo Police Special Forces occupied administrative buildings in the municipalities of Zvecan, Zubin Potok and Leposavic.

They tried to persuade the mayors of the municipalities that won the elections, which were boycotted by the Serb population, to take office.

During 29 May, members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Force in Kosovo (KFOR) surrounded government buildings where local residents were protesting, leading to clashes.

Kosovo police arrested seven Serbs from the north of the province.

They were accused of using violence against KFOR fighters during a protest on 29 May. However, video footage of the demonstration shows that the detainees were sitting peacefully on the ground in front of the NATO military formation.

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