A recent incident at Skopje Airport in North Macedonia, involving Kosovo’s President Vjosa Osmani, has escalated into a diplomatic scandal with Pristina sending a protest note to Skopje.

The controversy began on August 1 when Osmani refused to relinquish her mobile phone during a security check while en route to Slovenia. The incident sparked widespread reactions in the Kosovo media and strained relations between the neighbouring countries.

North Macedonia's authorities have attempted to mitigate the fallout, issuing an official statement emphasising the positive bilateral relations between the two countries and expressing regret for the misunderstandings on August 1. However, Osmani did not receive an apology from North Macedonia’s Foreign Minister Timco Mucunski.

Turkish-owned airport operator TAV Macedonia rejected criticism, and said that all passengers on commercial flights are subject to standard security screening.

"According to international security rules, all passengers and their belongings on commercial flights are subject to security screening. Non-compliance may result in denied boarding. The Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations exempts only official guests of North Macedonia's government from security screening," TAV Macedonia explained

Osmani reacted angrily to the response from North Macedonia, characterising the incident as a deliberate provocation.

"Yesterday’s situation at Skopje Airport cannot be explained or evaluated in any other way, except as a pure provocation and a tendency to cause an incident," Osmani's cabinet stated on August 2.

They also accused North Macedonia’s media of spreading false information.

“It is not true that Madam President refused to have her handbag scanned. Initially, Madam President did not have luggage with her, as propagated in numerous reactions in the North Macedonian media. Hence, it is a lie that she refused to have her luggage checked. She had a personal handbag which she immediately placed in the scanner, even though, according to international convention practices, security had no right to request such a thing. The only thing that the President refused to hand over was her mobile phone,” her cabinet said.

Osmani's cabinet further demanded that the official authorities in Skopje address the situation with utmost seriousness and take appropriate measures against the officials involved.

"Instead of making excuses and allowing the propaganda against Kosovo, we ask the official authorities in Skopje to urgently treat the case with high seriousness and to take appropriate measures against the officials who carried out this attack on the Republic of Kosovo," the statement continued.

"Even though the Kosovo Police had communicated the applicable rules to the Skopje airport officials in advance, they attempted to physically hinder Madam President forcing the Kosovo police to react. This behaviour of the Macedonian airport official is contrary to any international practice, according to which heads of state, when they travel, are protected by diplomatic privileges and immunity," stated Osmani's office.

In response to the incident, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Diaspora of Kosovo has taken immediate steps to seek official information and details from the embassy of North Macedonia in Kosovo. Kosovo's Foreign Minister Donika Gervalla met with North Macedonia’s ambassador in Pristina and Deputy Prime Minister Arben Fetai to discuss the incident and the need for swift institutional action.

Gervalla also received a phone call from her counterpart in Skopje Timco Mucunski, during which she expressed the concerns of Kosovo's institutions. She has submitted a note of protest to the authorities of North Macedonia, demanding a full explanation and immediate investigation into the incident to prevent similar occurrences in the future.