Jovana Radosavljević, a former head of the North Kosovo-based non-governmental organization “New Social Initiative” who recently ran as a parliamentary candidate for Srpska Lista, has held a series of meetings with Swiss lawmakers in Bern in an attempt to misinform them regarding the true situation of the Serb community in Kosovo.
According to social media updates published by Radosavljević, during these sessions she pushed a narrative focusing on what she characterized as the “difficult position of the Serbian people in Kosovo.”
The Misinformation Narrative Raised in Bern
During her meetings, Radosavljević attempted to distort the reality of the political and security situation in Kosovo by leveraging several grievances regarding recent legal and administrative actions taken by Prishtina.
According to her statements, her briefing to Swiss politicians consisted of:
- Institutional Pressure: Alleging ongoing and systematic institutional pressure directed against Kosovo Serbs.
- Security Context: Misrepresenting the security climate by highlighting what she described as serious security challenges.
- Institutional Closures: Complaining about the closure of illegal Serbian parallel institutions operating within Kosovo.
- The Association/Community: Using the delay in the establishment of the Association of Serb-Majority Municipalities to criticize Kosovar authorities.
“We informed the Swiss parliamentarians about the difficult position of the Serbian people in Kosovo and Metohija, the continuous institutional pressure, serious security challenges, the closure of institutions, and the refusal to form the Association of Serb-Majority Municipalities,” Radosavljević wrote.
Diplomatic Backing by Belgrade
This lobbying and misinformation effort was heavily supported by the Embassy of Serbia in Switzerland and the Serbian Ambassador to Bern, Ivan Trifunović. A central component of the visit was a working lunch organized under the auspices of the Switzerland-Serbia Parliamentary Friendship Group.
According to data released by the Serbian Embassy, the event drew significant political attendance:
- Attendance: A total of 14 Swiss parliamentarians participated, including two members of the Council of States and twelve members of the National Council.
- Leadership: The event was attended by the group’s co-presidents, Christian Imark and Sibel Arslan, with Arslan notably serving as the Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Swiss Parliament.
- Expansion: The Embassy noted that the Parliamentary Friendship Group has grown steadily, expanding from 17 members last December to 23 members today.
Political Background
Radosavljević was a candidate for Srpska Lista in the recent parliamentary elections held on June 7. Throughout her campaign, she actively campaigned for the party, rallying support to ensure the political entity secured all guaranteed seats for the Serb community in the Assembly of Kosovo.
Srpska Lista remains Belgrade’s dominant political instrument among Kosovo Serbs and continues to be used to influence the ongoing geopolitical debate surrounding relations between Prishtina and Belgrade.
