Albania Condemns Call for Blockade of Serbia

Posted January 12th, 2012 at 4:20 pm (UTC-5)
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Albania's foreign ministry has condemned calls by Kosovo hardliners for Albania to block its border with Serbia.

In a statement Thursday, Albania's foreign ministry said the proposed blockade is “extreme” and would hurt efforts to build a democratic and multi-ethnic state in Kosovo.

Leaders of the Kosovo Self-Determination Party have been urging Albania to block imports of Serb products this weekend. The call comes as a reaction to roadblocks set up by ethnic Serbs in Kosovo, supported by Belgrade.

The ethnic Serbs refuse to recognize Kosovo's 2008 declaration of independence and have been blocking the border area since July, when Kosovo's ethnic Albanian government tried to take control of the areas under de-facto Serb rule.

The ongoing tensions between Belgrade and Kosovo cost Serbia a chance at European Union membership last week. EU leaders delayed any decision on granting Serbia the status of membership candidate until March, citing the dispute.