Antonijevic: I expect a stronger reaction from the US and the EU regarding the Kosovo Police raid on "Rajska Banja"

Legal expert Milan Antonijevic views the Kosovo Police raid on the "Rajska Banja" complex as a move contrary to de-escalating conflicts and easing tensions, and he expects a stronger reaction from the EU and the US, which will not be limited to messages. He emphasizes that it is evident that incidents over the past year and more aim to send a message that Serbs are not welcome in Kosovo.

Antonijevic says for Kosovo Online that there have been ongoing efforts for years to realize property rights for Serbs in Kosovo and that, on the other hand, there have been discussions about businesses and assets owned by shareholders from Serbia or Kosovo Serbs.

"These are all questions that need to be addressed to the Pristina authorities. I hope that the international community will stand on the side of those who demand the full realization of property rights, to prevent this kind of misuse by the Kosovo Police. Doing something like this in Banjska, especially during the sensitive days after September 24, I think, is very sensitive," Antonijevic states.

According to him, Kosovo has an obligation, considering the messages from the EU and the US that led to sanctions, to work on de-escalating conflicts. However, what happened in Banjska is not de-escalation but a move in a completely different direction.

He anticipates stricter measures from both the EU and the US, not just messages, but that which must happen, emphasizing that Kosovo cannot be a society that doesn't guarantee human and property rights.

"With such an attitude, they really won't be able to move anywhere," he adds.

According to his words, it is obvious that the incidents over the past year and more are an attempt to send a message that Serbs are not welcome in Kosovo.

He notes that these incidents obviously serve Pristina to address the issue and negotiations in Brussels and everything that Serbia has been trying to find a solution for over several decades, which is to protect the Serbian community in Kosovo, secure their rights, and establish the CSM.

Antonijevic emphasizes that, as negatively as the Brussels negotiations might be perceived by a certain part of the Serbian public, that is the only way – the only way to protect Serbian rights is through negotiation.

"It is obvious that this quiet exodus and these subtle pressures suit Kosovo. Who would send their children past military and police checkpoints to school? No one deserves that in this day and age, and I think we need to return to peace, security, basic human rights, property rights, and above all, to each individual," Antonijevic says, commenting on the claims that the "Rajska banja" complex will be used by the Kosovo Police.

He states that the focus should be on a sustainable return of Serbs to Kosovo, not on quiet pressure and a silent exodus that Pristina apparently wishes for.

When asked whether Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti can be expected to react to a possible response from the EU and the US this time, Antonijevic says that if the EU and US response is strong and if it is tied to a certain level of sanctions or measures they already apply to the Pristina authorities, then Kurti's reaction may be stronger.

"I think it's good to really expose things in Kosovo, to talk about pressures, provocation, and something that shouldn't happen in any country on European soil, especially in one that emerged from an extremely difficult and bloody conflict just over twenty years ago," Antonijevic says.