Dacic: Kurti is the only threat to peace and the initiator of war, Serbia wants stability

It should be clear to everyone that the only threat to peace and the only initiator of the war is the Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti, and the only question is whether the Western countries are ready to react or whether they will let it go on its own, and they just clean after everything, Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic said today.

Dacic told for TV B92 that it was obvious that Kurti did not hide that his goal was to attack the Serbs, and that it should not be surprising that he thought that the final showdown with Serbia was yet to come, stating that in Pristina they were aware that they had not completed their independence and that for that, it was necessary to solve the "Serbian question".

"It is important that everyone knows that Kurti is the main obstacle to peace and the initiator of war. I think everyone is aware of that, but are they ready to react or will they let it go on its own, and then they clean after everything and say they can't do anything against him," stated Dacic.

He pointed out that everyone could hear from the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, several times, very clearly that Serbia was in favor of dialogue and peace, but that he would not allow the pogrom of Serbs.

"If the international community does not react, we will react. We mean it seriously, and in order for that not to happen, let them stop Kurti from his intention. Serbia has no responsibility," said Dacic.

He also stated that the approach to this issue in Western circles was not objective, but that Serbia must work to find a way to survive and protect its interests in this world.

When it comes to the withdrawal of 25 percent of Kosovo police officers from the municipal buildings in the north, Dacic said that this was just a trick by which Kurti wants to delay the steps that were crucial, which was the withdrawal of the mayor and all police forces, the return to normal life and the cancellation of illegitimate elections in four municipalities in the north, in which Serbs did not even participate.

"It is only a part of the mosaic in Kosovo. Kurti is constantly making unilateral moves that lead to problems, to terror against the Serbian people in Kosovo and Metohija," said Dacic and added that yesterday he spoke for two hours with representatives of the SPS municipal committees from Kosovo, and that they conveyed to him the general opinion of the Serbs - that there was never a more difficult situation, that Serbs were randomly arrested, so that they would move out and give up on staying and surviving in Kosovo.

That is why, he says, it was necessary to take serious measures and steps, more serious than withdrawing 25 percent of the police officers.

Dacic also stated that among the unilateral steps of Pristina, that is of Kurti, there was the formation of the armed forces or the Kosovo army, which, he points out, is not in accordance with the UN Security Council Resolution 12 44, according to which KFOR is the only armed force in Kosovo.

He noticed, however, that Resolution 1244 was not respected, i.e. it was misused when Serbia needs to be accused of something, while the West behaved in the case of Pristina as if that document did not exist.

"All this resulted in the increased presence of the Kosovo police or other armed formations in the north, which should not be there. Only KFOR is allowed to be in the north. And that will be the topic of conversation between President Vucic and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg," said Dacic.

In response to the statement that KFOR will soon be headed by a general from Turkey, the country that arms and trains the KSF, Dacic points out that it should not be hidden that Turkish sympathies are on the side of Pristina, but in recent years there have been attempts to normalize Ankara's relations with Belgrade.

"Positive signals have been coming that Turkey wants good bilateral relations with Serbia, and that's why we hope that Ankara, regardless of those sympathies, will adhere to a status-neutral position in systems like KFOR," Dacic said.

The minister also stated that Serbia does not look positively on the fact that Turkey armed Kosovo with "Bajraktar" drones and that this diminishes the results achieved by Presidents Vucic and Erdogan in mutual cooperation and communication.

"We appeal to Turkey to play a positive role, and to contribute to peace and stability, and not to incite violence against Serbs," Dacic said.

When it comes to the continuation of the technical dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina, tomorrow in Brussels, Dacic said that, essentially, the plan for de-escalation must be fulfilled.

"After the conversation between Vucic and Stoltenberg, there will be a decision on further steps, whether we will ask for a session of the UN Security Council, what will be the diplomatic activity. But the most important thing is to preserve peace and human lives," concluded the head of Serbian diplomacy.