Serbian newspaper Danas reported on Sunday that the role of President Aleksandar Vučić in Kosovo has weakened.
Referring to his announcement that he will meet Kosovo Serbs in Raška following the implementation of Kosovo’s Law on Foreigners, Danas wrote that Vučić previously traveled to Kosovo without obstacles, whereas now he will meet Serbian citizens in a container near the border.
The paper noted that this illustrates how much the political and institutional circumstances have changed, suggesting that with his non-radical style of performance he is trying to fully demoralize the Serbian community.
During a guest appearance on RTS on Thursday, commenting on the Law on Foreigners that entered into force on March 15, Vučić said he would travel next week and sit in a container on the side of central Serbia, waiting for Serbs crossing the administrative boundary to see how he could help them.
He said the law represents a blow to education and healthcare and that it could affect around 10,000 Serbs living in Kosovo, including about 500 professors working at the relocated University of Pristina in North Mitrovica, as well as doctors and teachers. He also announced meetings with European officials to work toward resolving the issue.
A day before the law came into force, the EU’s special envoy for the Belgrade–Pristina dialogue met with Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti. An agreement was reached that the implementation of the law would begin as planned but with additional measures, including the issuance of 12-month residence permits by the Government of Kosovo for Serbian workers and students.
According to Danas, the government in Serbia and representatives of the international community are satisfied with such an arrangement, while Vučić said he will meet Kosovo Serbs within the next seven to ten days to discuss further developments.
“There are no good and easy solutions, but this is a relief for them. A model has been reached, I know the technical details. Within seven to ten days I will go to talk with our people in Raška,” Vučić said on Saturday.
The Government of Kosovo has agreed that the implementation of the Law on Foreigners and the Law on Vehicles will begin with certain facilitation measures for Serbs working in parallel institutions or studying at the university in the north. At the request of the European Union, Kosovo agreed to issue 12-month residence permits for Serbian students without Kosovo documents and to temporarily accept identification documents issued by illegal structures for a period of three months.
