Acting Prime Minister Albin Kurti addressed the press today regarding the arrest and one-month detention of Igor Popović, assistant director of the Serbian Government’s so-called “Office for Kosovo.” Popović was arrested for offensive statements against the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA).
Rule of Law and Response to Popović’s Actions
Kurti asserted that anyone violating law and order would face justice. “The rule of law is the foundation of our state and does not discriminate based on ethnicity. Everyone who violates law and order will face justice,” Kurti stated. He emphasized that Popović’s case, arrested on suspicion of committing criminal offenses related to inciting discord and ethnic intolerance on July 18, is no exception. Kurti affirmed that Popović is being treated by the institutions of the Republic of Kosovo in accordance with all international human rights standards.
Condemnation of Vučić’s “Threatening” Statements
Kurti also directly addressed the reaction from Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, who had warned that official Belgrade had informed all international partners about Popović’s detention, adding that “this could have unpredictable consequences.”
According to Kurti, Vučić’s statements made on July 20 are “threatening and unacceptable.” He argued that when a president and supreme commander issues such public threats with inciting tones, it can no longer be considered an individual stance but rather state policy. “With this, Belgrade shows that it does not support justice, peace, and stability but rather the incitement of tensions in the region, and it shows that Igor Popović’s statements incite discord and intolerance,” Kurti said.
He further elaborated that by attacking the “most sacred value, the KLA, through such clearly synchronized statements, they clearly aim to provoke tensions. Such statements pose a threat to peace in the Western Balkans. This should not be neglected as it comes from a leader who controls the military apparatus and security structures of a state that has historically committed war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide.”
Kurti added, “Even today, Serbia has not apologized for these crimes in our country and tries to deny them in every international forum, and does so in cooperation with Russia. It is not the first time that Vučić’s Serbia tries to interfere in Kosovo’s internal affairs. To date, thanks to the professional work of the KOSOVO INTELLIGENCE AGENCY, Police, and other institutions, in a little over a year, 6 individuals have been arrested in Kosovo for espionage. These cases for which evidence has been secured are not isolated but part of a continuous strategy against the state institutions of Kosovo, from which they will receive the deserved response.”
“The head of the northern neighboring state of the Republic of Kosovo is not only organizing and supporting such actions but also continuing to instrumentalize criminal groups for state purposes,” Kurti concluded at the press conference.
