In 1989 Ibrahim Rugova, leader of the ethnic Albanians in the Serbian province of Kosovo, initiated a policy of nonviolent protest against the abrogation of the province's constitutional autonomy by Slobodan Miloevi, then president of the Serbian republic. Serbia raised its combat readiness and warned it would not stand by if Serbs in Kosovo are attacked. The new rules, which became the root of fresh tensions between both sides, came almost a year after Kurti gave up imposing similar rules due to similar protests. Experts in Russia, the country which has sided with Serbia in the conflict, believe that Kosovo solved the problem at the end of the 20th century in strict accordance with the dominant approach. Kosovo is a mainly ethnic Albanian territory that declared independence from Serbia in 2008. Any Serbian military intervention in Kosovo would mean a clash with NATO peacekeepers there, and Serbia is unlikely to move in. The UN banned arms sales to Serbia and demanded a ceasefire in 1998 as NATO began planning an intervention. The international community have constantly tried to find a common ground between the two former foes, Serbia and Kosovo. While Serbia is pursuing European Union (EU) membership, unlike other Western Balkan partners, it does not aspire to join the Alliance. [59], On 6 November 2018, Kosovo announced a 10% tax on goods imported from Serbia and Bosnia-Herzegovina. While no casualties were reported in the clashes over the weekend, the routine conflicts between Serbia and Kosovo have previously led to multiple deaths and injuries. Marko Djuric, the Serbian government's liaison for Kosovo released a statement saying that "Serbia is the owner and builder of the power grids in Kosovo and Metohija, for which there is abundant evidence". Both nations must normalize ties if they want to advance toward EU membership. There are constant tensions between Kosovos government and ethnic Serb residents who keep close ties with Belgrade. Serbia raised its combat readiness and warned it wont stand by if Serbs in Kosovo are attacked.
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