Brnabic: We will ask for additional security guarantees for the Serbs in Kosovo

Reacting to KFOR's response, which states that there is no need for the return of Serbian security forces to the territory of Kosovo and Metohija, Prime Minister, Ana Brnabic, says that the fact that the letter was delivered on Christmas Eve and after the attack on Serbian boys in Strpce speaks volumes "about the character of the response."

We will ask for additional guarantees for the safety of the Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija because these are not the conditions in which anyone in Europe should live in the 21st century, Ana Brnabic emphasizes.

Brnabic says that KFOR's response to the Government's request to return up to a thousand members of the Serbian security forces to Kosovo was marked by two things.

According to her, one was that the reply had been sent on Christmas Eve, and the other was that it had been sent immediately after the attack on Serbian boys in Strpce.

"I would love for the Serbs in Kosovo to enjoy all the protection and, above all, for Serbian families to feel safe, to live, study and work safely. But, unfortunately, this is not the case, and today's protest of the Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija shows that," Brnabic told reporters in Dubai, where she is on a two-day visit.

She adds that the state will continue to insist on compliance with Resolution 1244 of the UN Security Council and all agreements, above all the Brussels Agreement and the obligation of Pristina to establish the CSM.

"We have entered the year 2023 and I expect that what our international partners promised will happen and that the formation of the CSM will begin in January. That is my focus for January and that is to be discussed at next week's meetings. We will certainly continue to insist on the respect of Resolution 1244", the Prime Minister emphasized.

She states that what KFOR says is one thing, and the reality on the ground is another.

"The reality is not only that the Serbs do not feel safe, but that they are not safe. Three young men were attacked on Christmas Eve, but this is only the latest in a series of incidents. And there were more than 300 of them in the last two years for which no one was held accountable," Brnabic says.

"And then we hear that someone can take care of the future of the Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija and that the only help that is not needed is the support of Serbian forces." Albanian, German, Dutch, and everyone's support is welcome, but the help of Serbian forces is not welcome," the prime minister added.

As she says, it is not logical and is contrary to Resolution 1244.

"But that resolution exists, even those who violated it cannot escape from it. And it was violated by all those who recognized the unilaterally declared independence of Kosovo. We continue to insist on respecting the Resolution 1244 and we will ask for additional guarantees for the safety of Serbs in Kosovo because these are not the conditions in which anyone in Europe should live in the 21st century, and I hope that at least we will all agree on that," the Prime Minister concluded.