The murder of Serbian politician Oliver Ivanović in Mitrovica in the northern Kosovo has obliged Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić to break off his negotiations in Brussels with the Kosovar government.
Immediately after the news was reported and confirmed, the Serbian delegation left for Serbia, where President Vučić has called an urgent meeting of the Serbian Security Council.
In a press conference, the Serbian President said that Serbian authorities should be included in the investigating and solving the crime.
Ivanović (64) was leader of the Serbian minority party Freedom, Democracy, Justice (SDP). He was killed this morning by four shots in his chest when he entered his party offices in Mitrovica. The murder, which so far remains unsolved, is expected to influence the negotiation process between Serbia and Kosovo, mediated by the EU.
EU High Representative Federica Mogherini denounced the murder:
High Representative strongly condemned the murder and expressed condolences to his family and friends. She underlined the expectation that the relevant Kosovo Rule of Law authorities spare no effort to find the perpetrators and bring them to justice without delay. The European Union’s Rule of Law mission, EULEX, will support the authorities in accordance with its mandate.
