Civil society organizations: False accusations by Bislimi and others designed to scare us and expose us to public lynching

The Institute for Territorial Economic Development, as one of the representatives of civil society organizations in Kosovo, stated in response to the attacks by Kosovo officials on civil sector representatives that what the leaders from Pristina had stated regarding the visit of these organizations' representatives to Brussels were "the most heinous lies."

They have posted a letter on the social network "X" regarding the attacks by the Government of Kosovo officials (Deputy Prime Minister and Chief Negotiator Besnik Bislimi, Deputy Minister of Local Government and Administration Arber Vokrri, as well as the Self-Determination Movement).

"Regarding systematic and orchestrated attacks by Kosovo Government officials in relation to our visit to Brussels last week, we, the representatives of civil society organizations, declare the following: our organizations have been working both individually and jointly for years to build bridges between Albanians and Serbs, and to promote reconciliation and inter-ethnic tolerance in Kosovo. In our activities, we have always advocated for peace, and publicly condemned all forms of violence in Kosovo, whether they come from members of the Serb community or Kosovo institutions. The results of our work are widely known to the public, and we are extremely proud of them," they stated in the announcement.

They added that these organizations actively supported the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia mediated by the EU, which, among other things, had been the main reason for their visit to Brussels.

During this visit, as they added, they presented the results of analyses and views that they express daily in public regarding the worrying circumstances of the Kosovo Serb community.

"We would like to emphasize that the work of our organizations is in accordance with the Kosovo laws and regulations. In our work, we are independent from any government structures, whether they come from Pristina, Belgrade, or elsewhere. Accusations that we are "Vucic's millionaire propagandists", and that we receive instructions from the Serbian President, or anyone else, are the most heinous lies designed to scare us, expose us to public lynching, and prevent further cooperation with partners from different ethnic communities in Kosovo. Through targeting of civil society representatives, several officials from the Government of Kosovo have been exposing their aversion to constructive criticism and their unwillingness to engage in dialogue, especially with organizations that are active in non-majority communities in Kosovo. Bearing in mind that Prime Minister Albin Kurti often proudly points out that a high degree of democracy is among the greatest achievements of Kosovo in its modern history, we hereby invite him to publicly disassociate himself from discriminatory and lies-based attacks directed at us by Deputy Prime Minister Besnik Bislimi and Deputy Minister of Local Self-Government Arber Vokrri, as well as by members of the Self-Determination Movement," the letter posted on the social network "X" stated.

The signatories are civil society organizations: New Social Initiative, NGO Aktiv, Institute for Territorial Economic Development, and the Coordinator of the National Convention for Chapter 35, Dragisa Mijacic.