By IRNA
Berlin : The German Foreign Ministry on Saturday issued a travel warning for Serbia in the wake of the recent outbreaks of violence in Belgrade directed at embassies and foreign companies in the Serbian capital.
The ministry said on its website the warning was linked to the changing security situation in Serbia following Thursday’s mass riots in Belgrade which killed one person and injured at least 130.
It urged German nationals to adapt to the new situation and avoid all demonstrations and public gatherings.
The ministry also advised Germans not to introduce themselves as foreigners during their stay in Serbia.
It pointed also to likely tensions in southern Serbia where a large Albanian community lives.
Germany’s Foreign Ministry on Friday summoned Serbia’s envoy to protest against the riots in front of the German and and US embassies in Belgrade.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Martin Jaeger told journalists in Berlin that the Serbian charge d’affaires had been called in to be submitted an official protest at the mob attack on the German diplomatic mission in Belgrade.
Meanwhile, deputy government spokesman Thomas Steg condemned the Belgrade riots in the “strongest” terms.
One German security official was slightly hurt in the assault and there was substantial property damage to the embassy, Steg added.
He warned that if such incidents are repeated this would have “consequences for the future relationship between Serbia and the European Union.”
Serbia’s ambassador to Berlin had been recalled to Belgrade on Thursday, in addition to other Serbian top diplomats in other countries which have recognized the independence of Kosovo.
As expected, Germany was one of the first countries to recognize Kosovo’s independence.