Becirovic: Vucic's strategy gave Serbia position of subject in events about Kosovo

The director of the International Institute for Middle Eastern and Balkan Studies (IFIMES), Zijad Becirovic, said that the meeting in Ohrid was part of a 1,000-mile journey, on which several steps had been taken, and that it was a very important step forward made by Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, who, unlike the previous leaders of Serbia who refused international cooperation, had chosen a different approach, strategy, and tactics, BN reports.

Becirovic stated for Tanjug that until now, "Serbian leaders" had refused international cooperation, costing Serbia a lot, and that President Vucic had chosen a completely different approach, strategy, and tactics.

"It can be seen from his press conference that he has a developed strategy for the continuation of the negotiations, which he does not reveal, but in any case, he achieved that Serbia, which ten or more years ago was not a subject at all when it came to the issue of Kosovo, became an equal partner without which nothing can be solved and the subject of the events regarding Kosovo," Becirovic said.

He points out that this is a qualitatively significant step forward because Vucic fought to ensure that the implementation of previously signed agreements will be taken into account for further consideration in the negotiations' continuation, especially the Brussels Agreement from 2013, as well as from 2015, where the principles of dialogue are stated.

"However, there is a real danger for Vucic because he deals with state-building issues and works for his country and people. A similar situation happened in 1995, when the Israeli Prime Minister of that time, Yitzhak Rabin, wanted to bring permanent peace and stability to Israel. We saw what extreme right-wingers did in Israel, where Rabin tragically died, and he went down in history because his intentions were recognized worldwide, for which he received the Nobel Prize. Something similar is happening with the Serbian president, where the extreme right or one segment of the extreme right in Serbia is creating an environment reminiscent of the environment in Israel in 1995, when Rabin was killed," Becirovic pointed out.

According to him, such scenarios should be prevented, and a completely different environment should be created in Serbia, especially now, as he emphasizes, when the first man of the state is solving a historical issue.

"There should be a unity of political forces then, and not the opposite, which is happening in Serbia. Instead of helping him, they are retaliating against him in his efforts to ensure not only peace for Serbia and the citizens of Kosovo but also for the region and Europe itself. That's why he deserves every kind of support for that noble intention," Becirovic said.

Answering the question of whether the international community will succeed in forcing Pristina to form the Community of Serb-majority Municipalities, Becirovic says that it was clear from Albin Kurti's statements that he accepted it; he is only preparing the ground for implementation, which is why, he believes, he himself launched the story that there are 15 models.

"Given that there are 15 models and that he announced it, it means that the CSM will be legalized, especially since he also said in the Kosovo Assembly that it was voted in the Parliament, so he actually transferred the responsibility for voting the Brussels Agreement related to the CSM to the parliament that previously ratified the Brussels Agreement," Becirovic concluded.