{"id":12587,"date":"2025-04-08T14:55:54","date_gmt":"2025-04-08T12:55:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sbunker.org\/?p=12587"},"modified":"2025-04-10T13:56:26","modified_gmt":"2025-04-10T11:56:26","slug":"peja-si-srb-kur-politika-lokale-tenton-te-krijoje-tensione-ndershteterore","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sbunker.org\/en\/disinfo\/peja-si-srb-kur-politika-lokale-tenton-te-krijoje-tensione-ndershteterore\/","title":{"rendered":"Peja as \u2018SRB\u2019: When Local Politics Attempts to Stir Interstate Tensions"},"content":{"rendered":"

A sign depicting the Kosovar city of Peja as part of Serbia was placed for several hours at an \nintersection in Rozaje, Montenegro, an act that sparked numerous reactions in both <\/span>Kosovo <\/span><\/a> and \n<\/span>Montenegro<\/span><\/a>.<\/p>\n

This incident occurred despite the fact that Montenegro has <\/span>recognized<\/span><\/a> Kosovo as a sovereign state since 2008 and has established full diplomatic relations with it.<\/p>\n

Pljevlja is governed by pro-Serbian parties, often supported by Belgrade, which have historically \nresisted Montenegro\u2019s pro-Western policies, including the recognition of Kosovo.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Following widespread reactions, the \u201cprovocative\u201d sign was removed.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Among those who <\/span>reacted<\/span><\/a> was artist Kaltrina Hoti, who lives in Plav. On April 5, she stated that the sign had been placed with the approval of the Mayor of Plav, Nihad Canovic. She said that such an act is not only offensive to Albanians in Montenegro but also poses a risk of ethnic division and new tensions. According to her, the approval of this sign implies a silent institutional endorsement \nof Serbia\u2019s claims over Kosovo.<\/p>\n

\u201c<\/span>The approval by the Mayor of Plav, Nihad Canovic, to place a sign suggesting that Peja (Kosovo) is part of Serbia has created a dangerously tense ethnic climate in the region. The sign, which implies that Montenegro supports Serbia\u2019s claims over Kosovo, is not only offensive to the Albanian minority in Montenegro but also risks deepening ethnic divisions and potentially leading to unrest,\u201d<\/span><\/i> Hoti wrote on Saturday.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, on Sunday she <\/span>posted<\/span><\/a> a photo showing that the sign had been removed. In another <\/span>video<\/span><\/a> she posted, Canovic is seen speaking with workers who told her that the sign had been installed at the request of the mayor.<\/p>\n

\u201c<\/span>Who was right? I want to thank everyone who criticized me and tried to tell me I was wrong (especially some Albanian speakers). Now the sign is gone. Now Nihad Canovic must fulfill his legal obligation toward the Albanian minority by placing all traffic signs in both languages,<\/span><\/i>\u201d <\/span>wrote<\/span><\/a> Hoti.<\/p>\n

Kosovo\u2019s Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that they followed the case of the road sign placed in \nMurino, with the inscription \u201cPec Srb\u201d, with <\/span>concern<\/span><\/a>, calling it \u201c<\/span>unacceptable in content and contrary to the spirit of good neighborliness and mutual respect between states.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

According to them, immediately upon receiving information about the case, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Diaspora, through the Embassy of Kosovo in Podgorica, took the necessary steps to address the issue with the relevant institutions of Montenegro.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201c<\/span>The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Diaspora informs the public that following this institutional engagement, the sign in question has been removed. The Ministry welcomes this action by the Montenegrin authorities and considers it an important step toward preserving good neighborly relations and fully respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Republic of Kosovo,\u201d the Ministry's<\/span><\/i>, <\/span>statement<\/span><\/a> reads.<\/p>\n

The Government of Montenegro has not officially commented, even though the sign risked \nstraining diplomatic ties with Kosovo. Serbia\u2019s influence in Montenegro has long been a point of \ncontention, especially since Montenegro's independence in 2006, with Belgrade often using local politics to challenge Kosovo\u2019s statehood.<\/span><\/p>\n

Incidents like this reflect a broader pattern of symbolic provocations in the Balkans, where signs, flags, and other symbols are often used to assert territorial claims or stir nationalist sentiment.<\/span><\/p>\n

This action comes amid a tense regional climate in which Serbia, backed by Russia, continues to challenge Kosovo\u2019s statehood in every international forum. Through its influence over Serbian communities in Kosovo, Montenegro, and Bosnia and Herzegovina, Belgrade seeks to pursue a hybrid foreign policy that combines nationalist rhetoric with symbolic actions, such as the placement of this sign.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

These moves are part of a wider strategy aimed at destabilization and undermining the Euro-\nAtlantic integration of the region\u2019s countries.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

*This article is published as part of the Western Balkans Regional Initiative against disinformation.<\/em>\u00a0\u201cWestern Balkans Anti-Disinformation Hub: exposing malign influences through watchdog journalism.\u201d<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Nj\u00eb tabel\u00eb q\u00eb e paraqiste qytetin e Kosov\u00ebs, Pej\u00ebn si pjes\u00eb t\u00eb Serbis\u00eb, p\u00ebr disa or\u00eb ishte vendosur n\u00eb nj\u00eb kryq\u00ebzim n\u00eb Rozhaj\u00eb t\u00eb Malit t\u00eb Zi, veprim ky q\u00eb nxiti reagime t\u00eb shumta n\u00eb Kosov\u00eb dhe Mal t\u00eb Zi.\u00a0 Ky akt ndodhi pavar\u00ebsisht faktit se Mali i Zi e ka njohur Kosov\u00ebn si shtet […]<\/p>","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":12590,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1241,363],"tags":[988,1069,2483,1239],"ppma_author":[28],"class_list":["post-12587","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-debunking","category-disinfo","tag-ballkani-perendimor","tag-disinfo","tag-peje","tag-rusia"],"authors":[{"term_id":28,"user_id":18,"is_guest":0,"slug":"disinfo","display_name":"Disinfo","avatar_url":{"url":"https:\/\/sbunker.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Sbunker_FAKE_NEWS_001-min1647858578.jpg","url2x":"https:\/\/sbunker.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Sbunker_FAKE_NEWS_001-min1647858578.jpg"},"user_url":"","last_name":"","first_name":"Disinfo","description":""}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sbunker.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12587","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sbunker.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sbunker.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sbunker.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/18"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sbunker.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12587"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/sbunker.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12587\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12599,"href":"https:\/\/sbunker.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12587\/revisions\/12599"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sbunker.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12590"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sbunker.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12587"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sbunker.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12587"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sbunker.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12587"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sbunker.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=12587"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}