Drecun: Kurti is trying to prevent Serb List from protecting the interests of Serbs in any way

The Chairman of the Serbian Parliament's Committee on Defense and Internal Affairs, Milovan Drecun, stated that the reduced number of municipal councilors in the northern Kosovo municipalities should not proportionally change the situation. However, he emphasized that it is never clear what Albin Kurti’s next move will be, as he will try everything to prevent the Serb List from winning if it participates in local elections.

Drecun highlighted the importance of the Serb List winning a two-thirds majority in the elections to be able to resist Kurti’s unilateral actions, such as land confiscation or the construction of bases.

"Kurti is working insidiously and trying to completely disregard the political will of Serbs represented by the Serb List, and to prevent it from protecting Serbian interests in any way," Drecun said in an interview with RTS.

He also stated that the central authorities in Pristina allocated the budget for North Mitrovica as if only 10,000 people live there, even though there are 18,000 registered voters based on the electoral roll.

"There will likely be new moves aimed at marginalizing any victory by the Serb List, preventing it from fighting for Serbian interests. Even after the elections, political engineering is possible. When a municipality opposes the central government's projects, such as building bases, they can declare it a project of national importance and bypass the local authorities," Drecun explained.

He also pointed out that every decision made by the local government must be verified by the Ministry of Local Government, otherwise, it cannot be implemented. This effectively allows Kurti to veto decisions made by municipalities where Serbs have the majority.

"All of Kurti’s actions are aimed at undermining the survival of Serbs, denying them a normal life. Kurti wants full control over the north, without considering Serbian interests, while ignoring the Serbian population. The number of councilors has been reduced as a result of the census, but the question is what will he come up with next. He clearly has a plan," Drecun emphasized.

He also stated that the recent census conducted in Kosovo is not credible and that Pristina is ignoring the reasons behind the declining number of Serbs, who have for years been subjected to brutal violence, institutional closures, disrupted deliveries of Serbian goods at administrative crossings, terror against children, and the extreme militarization of northern Kosovo.

"The recent joint exercise of KFOR, EULEX, Kosovo Police, and the Kosovo Security Force (KSF) for crisis response does not bode well, it shows that someone is planning for the KSF to enter the north. That is why so many bases are being built there," Drecun warned.

He stressed that the Serbian population is under immense pressure and that the only way to stop Kurti’s terror is for the Serb List to try to win in the elections, as Kurti consistently ignores the will of the Serbs.

"For him, Kosovo is the most democratic country, yet it’s the place where one community’s rights are the most endangered. He uses a wide array of measures to achieve his goals, and the key one is to bring the north fully under control, institutionally and by force, with police and special units, to force the Serbs either to accept the fake state or to leave," Drecun said firmly.

When asked whether the Serb List would participate in the local elections on October 12, Drecun said he assumes it will, because the question now is whether they should try, through the institutions, to fight for Serbian interests, given that Kurti, once again, is manipulating the situation.

Regarding the construction of two new bridges over the Ibar River, Drecun said that this further radicalizes the situation and intimidates the Serbs, sending a message that they must submit to the decisions of the central authorities, be “obedient,” or face sanctions, terror, or simply leave.

Drecun noted that the international presence in Kosovo is not taking serious action, treating all this as internal Kosovo affairs, legal processes, and enforcement of central government mandates, and only intervening when the risk of serious incidents arises.

"Many in the EU are encouraging Kurti to continue with this policy. If Kaja Kallas informs him in Pristina that the EU has started lifting the measures imposed due to the escalation in the north, while there is no de-escalation, then it is clear they have no problem with Kurti's behavior. The disregard for the electoral will of Serbs doesn’t concern anyone, and that is the reality Serb List will have to face both before and after the elections," Drecun concluded.