Serbia’s foreign minister has suggested that citizens should not travel to the UK because of the danger posed by “major political chaos”, according to local media reports.
Ivica Dacic’s remarks, which he described as “cynical”, were made in response to cautionary travel advice about travelling in northern Kosovo, issued by the British embassy in Pristina.
The embassy said on its Facebook page on 2 April that it has “advised against all but essential travel to the northern municipalities [of Kosovo] for several years, due to a number of recent violent incidents linked to organised crime”.
Kosovo neighbours Serbia and unilaterally declared independence in 2008. Serbia does not recognise its former province as a state.
Mr Dacic responded to the advice with mocking remarks made on Thursday, in which he suggested that protests in the UK should trigger a similar warning.
“If [citizens] have some other destinations to go to, I recommend that they don’t go [to the UK], so as not to put themselves in danger due to the daily demonstrations,” he said, according to Serbian news website b92.
“I’m being deliberately cynical, because when somebody – with the terrorists, cutthroats and criminals in Pristina – says that crime is in northern Kosovo – it’s a lie. There’s certainly crime there, but not more than there is in Pristina.”
Mr Dacic has previously served as Serbia’s acting leader and was a spokesperson for notorious strongman Slobodan Milosevic.
The UK, US and most countries in the EU recognise Kosovo as a sovereign nation.
