Kosovo Briefing
On Tuesday morning (21 October), the Security Council will convene for its second regular briefing this year on the situation in Kosovo. Deputy Special Representative and Officer-in-Charge of the UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) Milbert Dongjoon Shin is expected to brief on the Secretary-General’s latest report on UNMIK (S/2025/634), which was circulated to Council members on 10 October and covers developments from 16 March to 15 September. Serbia is expected to participate under rule 37 of the Council’s provisional rules of procedure, while Kosovo and the European Union (EU) are expected to participate under rule 39.
Shin is expected to highlight key political and security developments in Kosovo during the period covered by the Secretary-General’s report. He may note that little progress has been made in the implementation of the EU-facilitated agreements, including the February 2023 Agreement on the path to normalisation (also known as the Ohrid Agreement), and that tensions between Belgrade and Pristina have continued to persist.
The Secretary-General’s latest report observed that Kosovo authorities undertook police and judicial actions against several Kosovo Serb political representatives. Tensions simmered between Pristina and Belgrade following the 18 July arrest of Igor Popović, the Assistant Director of Serbia’s Office for Kosovo and Metohija and a member of the Serbian Government’s negotiation team in the EU-facilitated dialogue, at the Brnjak/Bërnjak crossing point. Kosovo authorities charged Popović with “inciting discord and intolerance” after he reportedly called members of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) “terrorists” during a public event in Rahovec/Orahovac earlier that month. In response to the arrest, Belgrade ruled out the possibility of dialogue with Pristina until Popović is released, with Serbian Minister of Foreign Affairs Marko Đurić declaring that “[t]here can be no dialogue with Pristina while arrests and pressures on Serbian officials and the Serbian people are taking place”. (For background and more information, see the brief on Kosovo in our October 2025 Monthly Forecast.)
On 9 June and 11 September, EU Special Representative for the Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue Peter Sørensen facilitated two trilateral meetings in Brussels with the respective chief negotiators from Kosovo and Serbia, Besnik Bislimi and Petar Petković, on the implementation of prior agreements, including the Ohrid Agreement and the May 2023 Declaration on Missing Persons. Neither meeting resulted in a declared outcome. It appears that the 11 September meeting ended without meaningful progress between both parties owing to diverging views over the prioritisation of issues in implementing prior agreements. Additionally, although the sides formally agreed on the establishment of the Joint Commission on Missing Persons in December 2024, its inaugural meeting did not take place as scheduled following the 11 September talks. In this respect, at Tuesday’s meeting, Shin is likely to appeal to Belgrade and Pristina to engage in good faith towards the resumption of normalisation talks and capitalise on the establishment of the commission within the framework of the EU-facilitated dialogue. Several Council members are likely to underscore the need for the parties to prioritise de-escalation, refrain from unilateral measures, and re-engage in the EU-facilitated dialogue aimed at normalising the relationship between Belgrade and Pristina.
Shin is also expected to emphasise the fragility of the security situation in northern Kosovo. According to the Secretary-General’s report, Kosovo authorities continued to shut down and assume control of Serbia-run institutions, including the Pension Disability Insurance Fund and the National Employment Service in Leposavić, regional water supply companies in North Mitrovica and Zubin Potok, and the Republic Fund for Health Insurance, among other facilities. Belgrade strongly condemned the closures, asserting that such acts constitute a violation of “all international and humanitarian norms”. The closures were also met with criticism from international actors, including the EU and UN. In a 14 September press statement, UNMIK expressed concern over such developments and reiterated its call for all outstanding issues to be addressed within the framework of the EU-facilitated dialogue.
Shin is likely to echo these messages on Tuesday and highlight concerns raised by non-majority communities, particularly the Kosovo Serb community, about the impact of the closures on residents’ livelihoods and access to essential services and facilities. He may also underscore the importance of upholding the social, economic, and cultural rights of non-majority communities and call on the parties to refrain from unilateral actions that deepen mistrust between communities and institutions.
Issues concerning the process of inaugurating a new Assembly (parliament) in Kosovo may also be discussed at Tuesday’s briefing. On 26 August, Dimal Basha of the Lëvizja Vetevendosje party (LVV) was elected as the new Speaker of the Assembly, and four deputy presidents were appointed. Following months of political impasse and procedural disputes after the 9 February elections, the Kosovo Assembly on 10 October appointed Nenad Rašić from the Za Slobodu, Pravdu i Opstanak party (ZPSO) as the Assembly’s deputy speaker representing the Serbian community. Rašić received 71 votes in favour, nine against, and 24 abstentions in the 120-seat parliament. Basha subsequently declared the parliament fully constituted.
Rašić’s appointment received considerable opposition from the Srpska Lista (Serbian List), the largest Kosovo Serb political party. Srpska Lista had apparently objected to the decision to elect Rašić, claiming that it violated constitutional provisions and did not represent the majority of the Kosovo Serb community. Following the vote, Igor Simić, the vice-president and spokesperson of Srpska Lista, reportedly challenged Basha’s declaration, contending that “the winner of the elections from the Serbian community must have the exclusive right to propose the deputy speaker of the parliament from the Serbian community”. Other party leaders expressed scepticism that the political stalemate had officially ended and that Rašić’s appointment would fully clear the path for the formation of a new government. It is not yet clear whether Srpska Lista will file an official complaint with Kosovo’s Constitutional Court.
The first round of local elections in Kosovo was also held on 12 October, resulting in the appointment of 17 mayors. Srpska Lista won in the Serb-majority municipalities, having secured nine out of ten mayorships. According to the Central Election Commission of Kosovo, due to low voter turnout, no candidate secured the required threshold of more than 50 percent of the vote to win in 21 municipalities, which will hold run-offs on 9 November.
In light of these developments, Shin and some Council members are likely to welcome the progress made towards constituting the Assembly of Kosovo. They may also call on all parties to cooperate to complete the process in an inclusive manner and in line with Kosovo’s constitutional standards.
Deep divisions persist among the Security Council’s permanent members, continuing to colour the Council’s consideration of the Kosovo file. China and Russia do not recognise its independence, calling for a negotiated political solution between Belgrade and Pristina. In contrast, the P3 (France, the UK, and the US) recognise Kosovo’s independence and tend to focus on its forward-looking trajectory. Nevertheless, on 12 September, the US announced that it had indefinitely suspended its planned “strategic dialogue” to deepen ties with Kosovo, citing concerns over unspecified “recent actions and statements by Caretaker Prime Minister [Albin] Kurti”.
Many Council members are likely to underscore the importance of UNMIK’s work in fostering trust between communities, promoting human rights and the rule of law, and supporting progress towards normalising relations between Belgrade and Pristina. At the same time, some members—including Denmark, the Republic of Korea (ROK), the UK, and the US—have noted in the past that the situation in Kosovo has changed considerably since the mission’s establishment in 1999. They are likely to reiterate such messages at Tuesday’s meeting. These and possibly other members may also call for a strategic review of the mission, with some urging the Council to modify its mandate with a view to its possible drawdown. Some might note that this is particularly relevant in light of the UN80 initiative, which aims to implement structural reforms and programmatic alignment across the UN system, including in UN peace operations, in order to enhance efficiency and improve overall effectiveness. Conversely, Russia is expected to oppose any modifications to UNMIK’s mandate, staffing, or budget, underscoring that the mission’s continued presence remains critical in maintaining order and regional stability.
