Zoran Vuletić, the leader of one of the opposition parties in Serbia, the Citizens’ Democratic Forum, stated that the moves by the authorities in Pristina are the result of previous agreements between Kosovo and Serbia, but with insufficient transparency towards the citizens.
In contrast to Serbia, which accuses Kosovo of “a policy directed against Serbs in Kosovo,” a segment of the political opinion assesses that the events in the north are a result of agreements reached earlier within the framework of the dialogue.
Vuletić told RTK2 that the removal of illegal Serbian institutions is not surprising but rather a part of an agreement that has been negotiated for years.
“It is clear that within those negotiations, an agreement was reached between Belgrade and Pristina to remove the parallel institutions. It seems that this is exactly what is happening now,” Vuletić said, adding that the main issue is the lack of information to the Serbian public about this.
“The fact that this has been done without the knowledge of the Serbian public and the people of Kosovo shows the soft reaction of the Serbian authorities to these events. Agreements were reached, but they were not presented transparently to the citizens, which has led us to the current situation.”
Vuletić criticized the lack of communication between the authorities and the citizens, emphasizing that the benefits of these agreements could have been clearly presented, especially in the context of Serbia and Kosovo’s approach towards the European Union.
“It is good that an agreement was reached for the removal of parallel institutions, but the government is responsible because it did not explain it to the public. If there were positive contexts and benefits, they could be presented for both parties, instead of escalating the problem now.”
Speaking about the border point blockades, which were organized as a protest against the “occupation of Serbian institutional facilities in northern Kosovo,” Vuletić believes that such protests are not a solution, as they only create additional pressure and raise tensions.
“The Serbian community in Kosovo has been a pawn of Belgrade’s politics for years,” Vuletić emphasized. “There is no courage in Serbian politics to admit that Kosovo’s policies are being carried out incorrectly, and as a result, Serbs in Kosovo are suffering the consequences.”
“The conclusion is that all Serbs know what the epilogue for Kosovo is, who lost Kosovo, and the people living there know how they live and who the pawns are. The Serbian community in Kosovo is a pawn of the politics implemented by both the government and the opposition because no one has the courage to confront Kosovo’s destructive politics,” Vuletić concluded.
Serbia is awaiting the European Union’s reaction to the Kosovo government’s moves, while analysts point out that the closure of illegal Serbian institutions will follow the visit of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron, when the importance of implementing the Ohrid Agreement was emphasized once again.
