Serbian Interior Minister Ivica Dačić once again used an international forum to recycle old political narratives against Kosovo, this time from the 93rd session of the Interpol General Assembly in Marrakech.
Presenting himself as if announcing a diplomatic victory, Dačić declared that “there is no possibility for Kosovo to be admitted to Interpol,” while attempting to portray Kosovo’s lack of application this year as a “failure” rather than a strategic decision by Kosovar institutions. Using familiar propagandistic language, he claimed that Pristina “knows it does not have the majority.”
Instead of focusing on security issues the very purpose of Interpol Dačić once again used the platform to fuel Belgrade’s political narratives, reinforce the idea of Kosovo’s isolation, and promote the notion that Serbia is blocking any progress of Kosovar institutions on the international stage.
In official statements, the Serbian minister appeared to highlight his meeting with Interpol President Ahmed Naser Al-Raisi, even presenting him with a Serbian decoration a practice often seen in diplomatic circles as an attempt to exert political influence over international organizational processes, despite Belgrade’s claims to the contrary.
Dačić boasted about holding multiple bilateral meetings and stated that Serbia’s current objective is to open a regional Interpol office in Belgrade a move analysts say comes at a time when Serbia continues to refuse cooperation with international justice and security mechanisms in critical cases.
Ultimately, Dačić’s statements in Marrakech offered nothing new: merely another attempt to politicize an international police organization and another effort to portray Kosovo as isolated, while the reality of international processes shows quite the opposite.
