Dacic: It is important to continue the dialogue, not where it was reached by force, but by forming the CSM

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Serbia, Ivica Dacic, says that in the situation in northern Kosovo, where Serbs are prevented from doing everything, from accessing money to using medications due to shortages, Belgrade has limited power to respond without a physical presence and emphasizes that the international community should find a solution for Serbs to live normally, which must be part of the dialogue, RTS reports.

"It is very important to continue the dialogue, but not where it was reached by force. Kurti thinks he can continue there. We must start with the formation of the Community of Serb Municipalities," Dacic stressed.

The international community is calling for a de-escalation of the situation in northern Kosovo, and one of the steps, they say, is holding snap elections in four northern municipalities.

"The fact that Pristina is demanding petitions for holding elections in Kosovo represents an obstruction and is an indication that they do not want de-escalation," Dacic says.

The Serb List has asked Pristina to call snap local elections for mayors and councilors as soon as possible, while Pristina seeks a different system for elections, i.e., a petition from the citizens of the north.

"Many in the international community want to hear that Serbs want to participate in the elections. You know that from the beginning, we have been against such a way of organizing elections, and Serbs did not participate in the previous ones because Kurti acts by force and takes unilateral steps. Serbs have followed the advice and recommendation given by President Vucic. Elections will not solve the entire problem, but they will certainly bring stability to the authorities in these four municipalities. We will not have pseudo-mayors, and employed Serbs in those administrations will be able to go to work normally," Dacic said.

A meeting of the UN Security Council on Kosovo will be held on October 23, and along with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, the head of Serbian diplomacy will also attend. He says he would not be surprised by abuses by certain countries.

"I learned last night that Albania and the United Kingdom have scheduled a so-called informal session of the Security Council. This is not a session, but a thematic discussion in less important rooms on the subject of sexual violence in conflicts, prevention, etc., and they scheduled it for October 18, inviting Vjosa Osmani to give the introductory speech. Together with representatives from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ukraine, and other countries, which is another example of the misuse of the Security Council," Dacic said.

He adds that when there are such abuses by some countries, one can expect anything at the Security Council session on October 23.

"Albania did not even want to postpone the session so that the president could participate; Brazil did that," Dacic said for RTS.

Speaking about the new armed conflict in the Middle East, Dacic says that no one, when it comes to Serbian citizens, will be left unattended, and on the first day of the war in Israel, the first "Air Serbia" plane transported passengers.

In addition to four regular flights, an additional one was organized to accommodate Serbian citizens who had tickets with other companies that canceled their flights.

"Events like this show us how many of our people are in the world, and when such emergency situations arise, you have to react urgently. I previously requested that a crisis management team be formed at the ministry for such situations when our citizens have any problems abroad. Now, primarily, people who were left without flights turned to us. I have to praise 'Air Serbia,' which, in addition to regular flights, had an additional one. People usually remember the state in such situations; it takes time to obtain permits, but the flight was organized in cooperation with North Macedonia," he said.

So far, 700 of our people have been transported from Israel, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Serbia says that there are about 200 more.

"People work there, they are not just tourists. We have appointed a new ambassador, Petrovic, who will leave next week. We also sent reinforcements to help our people. We will continue to monitor the situation; it is important for our citizens to stay in touch with our consulate. No one will be left unattended. They can contact our consulate in Tel Aviv, and we also have an honorary consulate in Gaza, or they can contact the ministry directly," Minister Dacic explained.

As he says, this is not a new situation for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; during the COVID-19 pandemic, similar flights were organized, as well as evacuations from Libya.

"We have no information that any of our citizens were injured, are in the hospital, or have been abducted. One of our citizens was wounded; he was working at a festival. He was taken to the hospital, but he was released the next day," Dacic noted.