The British Ambassador to Serbia, Edward Ferguson, has spoken today about inter-ethnic relations in the Western Balkans and the efforts being made to normalize relations between Kosovo and Serbia. Ferguson stated that much more can be done in this regard than the graffiti and inscriptions seen on the streets of Belgrade.
He specifically mentioned the offensive slogan “When the army returns to Kosovo,” which can be seen in various parts of Belgrade, and questioned how a young Albanian living in Serbia might feel when they visit Belgrade for the first time and encounter such an insult.
“My embassy works intensively with minority communities across Serbia – Bosniaks, Roma, and Albanians, and we often bring them to Belgrade for seminars and training. However, some of them have told me that due to some of the graffiti they see in the city, they feel unsafe and uncomfortable. Can you imagine how a young Albanian, living in Serbia, who visits the capital for the first time, feels when they see such national-level insults or inscriptions on the walls saying, ‘When the army returns to Kosovo’? Surely, we can do better,” said Ferguson.
