The Kosovar justice minister says Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj has been removed from an international arrest warrant issued by Serbia.
“Today, I was informed that Interpol has removed 18 people from Kosovo that are wanted by Serbia and this list also includes the prime minister,” Justice Minister Abelard Tahiri said on December 1.
“After today’s decision, all these individuals are free to travel outside the country without any problem,” he added.
Haradinaj is a former guerrilla commander who fought in Kosovo’s battle for independence from Serbia.
Serbia did not immediately comment on the reports.
He has been arrested twice on a warrant from Serbia -- in Slovenia in 2015 and in France earlier this year -- but was released both times.
Haradinaj was also charged with war crimes, tried, and cleared twice by the UN war crimes tribunal in The Hague.
Western-backed Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008, a move recognized by 115 countries, although not by Serbia or Russia.
Haradinaj, the leader of the center-right Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK), was appointed Kosovo’s prime minister on September 9, helping to end months of political instability in the Balkan country.
Serbia is an official candidate for European Union membership, while Kosovo is seeking the status.
The EU has urged Pristina and Belgrade to normalize relations and is sponsoring talks aimed at ending years of hostility.
