Celic: If Kurti attacks Serbian education and healthcare - it would lead to a catastrophe

Dusko Celic, an assistant professor at the Faculty of Law at the University of Pristina with a temporary seat in Kosovska Mitrovica, emphasized that this university is not part of any parallel institutions but is recognized by UNMIK and is a full member of the European University Association. He warned that if Albin Kurti were to "attack" this academic space, he would also be attacking a European institution. Celic called on both the Serbian and global academic communities to prevent Kurti from taking such actions, as reported by Sputnik.

The issue of the University has been raised multiple times by Pristina during the dialogue process. According to Professor Celic, if Kurti decided to attempt to close or seize control of the university, it would represent yet another move not coordinated with international partners.

"Unfortunately, I think this is a realistic scenario, and that the political West, clearly with a lenient stance, is looking favorably on Pristina's unilateral actions. It's quite likely that Kurti, when he deems it fit during this pre-election period, will start to target our University, Serbian education, and healthcare. These are the only remaining institutions that function within the system of the Republic of Serbia," Celic said.

If this were to happen, he believes it would lead to a catastrophe, as education and healthcare are the last two pillars supporting "what little remains of Serb identity in Kosovo, especially in the north."

"I believe that stripping Serbs of the right to education and healthcare would be the final straw, leading people to start leaving. There's a danger that Kosovo and Metohija will no longer be a multi-ethnic region if this scenario plays out," Celic fears.

He points out that international missions often speak about a "multi-ethnic Kosovo," and if they truly want to retain the small Serb community left in Kosovo, they should not allow such a scenario.

"This is an academic community that includes just under 10,000 students and around 1,000 teachers and associates. Such a move by Kurti would spell disaster for our academic community and the University, which has existed since 1961 and is not a parallel institution, despite what Pristina claims," Celic concluded.