Drecun: Preventing Serbian media from covering the Assembly is Kurti’s harassment of the Serbian people

The Chairman of the Serbian Parliament's Committee on Defence and Internal Affairs, Milovan Drecun, said that denying Kosovo Online and RTS the opportunity to report from the constituent session of the parliament in Pristina amounts to Albin Kurti harassing the Serbian people.

Speaking to RTS, Drecun said he saw no reason to prevent coverage of the constituent session, as the events could have been followed through Albanian media anyway, since nothing could be concealed, and representatives of the Serb List were also present and could report on what happened.

“This is just a continuation of Kurti’s intention to inflict maximum harm on the Serbian people. You also cause harm when you prevent Serbian media from reporting on meetings. I see no practical need for this other than harassment,” Drecun explained.

He pointed out that the interruption of the constituent session of the Kosovo Assembly shows that efforts are still being made to form a majority that would enable the election of the Speaker.

“This time, it seems to me that Kurti is prepared to reach an agreement with one of the opposition parties. At least officially, he says that new elections are unnecessary and that he is ready to share power,” Drecun said.

He added that serious talks are underway between Self-Determination and the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) on the formation of a possible coalition government.

However, he noted that Self-Determination and the LDK do not have the two-thirds majority required to elect the president, meaning they need the support of representatives of minority communities.

“The disputed issue is who should become president. Kurti insists on a non-partisan figure who would not pose a problem for him. He needs someone who has no international experience and no strong political backing. Vjosa Osmani became a problem because she built a strong international position and pursued an independent policy. While Kurti was distancing himself from the United States, she maintained contacts with Washington,” Drecun explained.

He stressed that Kurti would not want Osmani to remain president, while the LDK insists on sharing power.

He also recalled that the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) and the Alliance are not prepared to cooperate with Self-Determination.

“The only chance is for him to reach an agreement with the LDK and resolve the institutional crisis. We will probably know as early as today, because according to the Constitutional Court's ruling, today is the final deadline for beginning the completion of the parliament's constitution. However, they do not have to respect the Constitutional Court's decisions, as they have failed to do many times before,” Drecun stressed.

What is certain, he said, is that a coalition of Albanian parties would mean the marginalisation of the Serb List and, consequently, disregard for the will of the majority of the Serbian people.

“There is no doubt that Kurti will try to appoint Nenad Rasic to the position of deputy speaker of parliament, which is guaranteed to representatives of the Serbian people. That would allow him to justify before the international community that he had included Serbs, by relying on the one politician whom the Serbian people did not want, because he was elected with the votes of Bosniaks and Albanians,” Drecun explained.

He stressed that Rasic would remain a tool for manipulating the Serbian people and underlined that Kurti does not respect the electoral will of the Serbian people, adding that this would remain the case regardless of future political developments.

Drecun emphasised that the Serb List, with its nine parliamentary seats, represents a significant political force, while Kurti is trying to marginalise it completely.

Asked about the summons sent by the prosecutor's office to members of the Serb List, he said it was an attempt to discipline the Serb List through fabricated legal proceedings.

“Kurti wants to prevent the Serb List from fighting for the interests of the Serbian people. This summons is a threat to all Serbs because it shows that anyone can become a target of the prosecutor's office, since it is always possible to claim that someone worked in what they call illegal Serbian institutions in order to discipline them. Kurti's policy is to make life as difficult as possible for Serbs, jeopardise their security, and force them either to integrate into the false state or to leave,” Drecun said.

He added that this is also being done by bypassing local authorities in the four municipalities in northern Kosovo.

“This is not just intimidation, but a clear message: ‘Watch how you behave, or the same thing that happened to the Serb List MPs will happen to you,’” Drecun added.

Regarding the European Union's statement on the demolition at Gazivode, he said that such messages must produce results, and if they do not, then they are issued merely for the sake of appearances.

Drecun said that the EU has sufficient leverage to pressure Pristina but lacks the political will to do so.

“The EU has accepted Kurti's behaviour and his terror against the Serbs. As long as the Franco-German proposal remains on the table, with its two provisions amounting to de facto recognition, there will be no progress in stopping Kurti's terror. The United States is showing a different approach, and the beginning of the strategic dialogue will bring greater understanding from the Trump administration for the Serbs in Kosovo, as well as much stronger pressure on Kurti. The EU's actions regarding the protection of the Serbian people are merely pro forma. The United States' approach will be much more practical. We saw from the visit of Trump's special representative that his administration will devote greater attention to the human rights of Serbs,” Drecun said.

He concluded that the United States has already realised that Kurti is not a desirable interlocutor.