Petkovic calls on internally displaced persons in Nis to vote for the Serb List: It is a matter of the survival of Serbs

Director of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija, Petar Petkovic, met in Nis with internally displaced persons living in that part of Serbia and urged them to vote for the Serb List in the snap parliamentary elections in Kosovo on 28 December, stressing that this is important for the survival of the Serbian people in that area.

“Less than two months later, I am again in Nis to ask internally displaced Serbs who live here and hold Pristina-issued documents to respond to the call of the state of Serbia and turn out to vote on 28 December. This is extremely important for the survival of Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija, and it is especially important that the Serb List wins once again. Just as we succeeded in winning all ten Serbian-majority municipalities in the local elections—ensuring that Serb List candidates again lead four municipalities in the north of Kosovo and Metohija and confirming victories in six municipalities south of the Ibar—so now it is crucial that, in the so-called parliamentary elections in Pristina, we secure all ten guaranteed seats in the Pristina parliament,” Petkovic said.

He reiterated that a victory for the Serb List would mean the continuation of infrastructure projects, as well as other projects of the state of Serbia in Kosovo.

“President Aleksandar Vucic has once again called on the Serbian people in Kosovo and Metohija, including internally displaced persons, to respond to Serbia’s call and vote for the Serb List. The Serb List is the only legitimate representative of the Serbian people in Kosovo and Metohija. In other words, the Serbian people are the Serb List; the Serb List is the state of Serbia and Belgrade. In order to continue major and important infrastructure, financial, and other projects, it is vital that the Serb List wins, because it is the umbilical cord between the Serbian people in Kosovo and Metohija and Belgrade,” Petkovic said.

He added that the President of Serbia is doing everything possible to help the Serbian people in Kosovo.

“We informed the internally displaced that 300 new jobs in healthcare will be created on 15 and 16 January, following the completion of the recruitment process. Along with the employment of 700 medical and non-medical staff—nurses and doctors—in Gracanica, Kosovska Mitrovica, and the Kosovo Pomoravlje region, we are doing many other things as well. This shows our commitment to truly helping our people, and that our approach to Kosovo and Metohija is not based merely on words, but on concrete actions,” Petkovic emphasized.

As he said, for them the issue of Kosovo is a matter of survival.

“Not as it is for blockaders or the opposition, for whom it serves as small change to bargain with, merely to use the topic to attack President Vucic and the state of Serbia. Over the past year you have seen what the blockaders have been doing. They were closely connected with Kurti. Kurti directly supported blockaders’ protests here—in Nis, in Belgrade, and elsewhere—thinking he would thereby incite and provoke violence in central Serbia. Both the blockaders and Kurti share the same goal: a weak Serbia. There is no ‘color revolution’; it is over. It is finished. Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija feel the same way. They know what the state is, they know what institutions are, which is why there have never been any blockades in Kosovo and Metohija,” Petkovic said.

He added that the state will provide everything necessary in logistical terms to enable displaced persons to travel and vote in Kosovo.

“In this way we show that Serbian unity stands above all of Albin Kurti’s terror, and that Serbian unity is what prevails. I hope that through this unity and a victory of the Serb List, we will finally see the back—truly the back—of Albin Kurti,” Petkovic said.

He stressed that the state of Serbia will strive to preserve peace and stability and to provide the Serbian people with all possible financial support.

“There is always room for improvement, but for the first time we also have a form of social assistance for 10,000 of the most socially vulnerable—those without jobs. This demonstrates our concern for people and even provides them with financial incentives to remain in Kosovo and Metohija. Together, we can build a better tomorrow both in Kosovo and Metohija and in central Serbia. Let decent Serbia prevail, because as long as President Vucic leads the state of Serbia, we will never recognize Kosovo. Unlike the blockaders, who in agreement with Kurti would recognize the so-called independence of Kosovo tomorrow. We must engage in dialogue, yes. We must seek a compromise solution through dialogue. But we will never trample on our Constitution or the dignity of our country,” Petkovic said.

Nis Mayor Dragoslav Pavlovic also called on Serbs living in Nis who hold valid ID cards issued by Pristina institutions to vote for the Serb List on 28 December.

“Therefore, my great gratitude goes to the Director of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija, and of course to the Director of the Commissariat for Refugees and Migration. Today, people representing a team that protects the interests of our people in Kosovo and Metohija are with us, so that together we can encourage and remind those living in Nis who are internally displaced from Kosovo and Metohija and hold valid ID cards issued there to go out and vote for the Serb List on 28 December—exclusively for the Serb List—in order to secure those ten mandates,” Pavlovic said.

He added that he admires Petkovic’s particular dedication toward people living in Nis who originate from Kosovo and Metohija.

“He listened to every person who approached him, which shows a genuine desire on the part of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija to help anyone in need. These are people who may have left the area to live elsewhere, but who still need assistance in various spheres of life, as they often return to their homes and do not wish to simply give up their houses. In no way do they want to hand them over to anyone living there who is not of Serbian nationality. That is why the great courage of these people deserves proper recognition, and I am pleased to see the strong commitment that this team visiting Nis today has shown to the people who attended the forum,” Pavlovic said.

He also thanked President Aleksandar Vucic, whom he described as a man who unites all Serbs across all meridians, wherever they may live.

He noted that if the Serb List wins all ten seats, no other political processes will be possible without the Serb List, which exclusively insists on the interests of the Serbian people in Kosovo.

He added that everyone has had the opportunity to see what happens when one mandate goes to someone outside the Serb List.

“That happened with Nenad Rasic, a man who bears only a Serbian name and surname, but who works for Kurti and for the interests of Pristina. In that case, we see that someone who is Serbian in name alone uses and abuses that mandate in Kurti’s and Pristina’s interests. To avoid this, it is extremely important that all internally displaced persons from central Serbia come to Kosovo and Metohija and vote for the Serb List, because both Rasic and Kurti—since this is now a matter of their political survival—will do everything they can to secure as many votes as possible. You have seen that Kurti did not hesitate to even have Albanians vote for Rasic, thereby abusing the one seat that belongs to the Serbian people,” Petkovic emphasized.