Gouillon: If Albanians ban you from entering Kosovo, it means you are doing well for the Serbian people

Arnaud Gouillon, Director of the Office for Cooperation with the Diaspora and Serbs in the Region, says for Kosovo Online that he is pleased to be among the group of people banned from entering Kosovo because, as he believes, it means that he is working in the interest of Serbia and the Serbian people.

"Serbian Patriarch Porfirije and President of the Republic of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic have been denied entry to Kosovo several times. Not because they pose a security risk to Albanians or peace in Kosovo and Metohija, but because they offer tremendous support to Serbs and do good things for Serbia and the Serbian people. I was also banned from entering Kosovo and Metohija five years ago, and it was an arbitrary decision. To tell you the truth, I prefer being in that group with the patriarch and the president because they are the political and spiritual leaders of the Serbian people, rather than being in the group with those who can enter Kosovo, walk around Mitrovica, Pristina, or Prizren, and send politically motivated messages against Serbia. If you receive such a ban, it is in a way a confirmation that you are doing good for Serbia and the Serbian people," Gouillon said.

President of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic announced earlier this year that he had requested to visit Kosovo to address the Serbian people, which had immediately received negative comments in Pristina. A few days before that, Kosovo authorities banned a Tanjug news agency journalist from entering Kosovo to report on Patriarch Porfirije's visit. On the other hand, Serbia did not approve a visit by Kosovo's Minister of Internal Affairs Xhelal Svecla to Presevo, Bujanovac, and Medvedja.

Gouillon says he wouldn't look reciprocally at what Pristina does compared to Belgrade's measures.

"According to international public law and the Constitution of Serbia, Kosovo is part of the Republic of Serbia. Serbia is an internationally recognized state that has the right and authority to ban entry into its territory based on laws. On the other hand, Pristina, as a territory that politically and arbitrarily denies entry to many people, does not respect human rights and freedom of movement. This is not the case here; we have laws, we have a Constitution, we have security structures that know how to treat those who pose a security threat to our country. Even those who criticize Serbia in the international media have the opportunity to enter the Republic of Serbia. Unfortunately, this is not the case in Kosovo, where they prohibit entry to journalists, humanitarians, and anyone who speaks the truth about the violation of basic human rights for Serbs and non-Albanians in Kosovo and Metohija," emphasized Gouillon, who is also the founder of the humanitarian organization "Solidarity for Kosovo."

He stresses that when he was banned from entering five years ago, he received no valid explanation for that measure.

"The decision stated that I was banned from entering Kosovo because I was on the list of persons banned from entering Kosovo. I have been suing them for five years, and they keep sending me from one court to another. Of course, it's a political decision, without foundation, which apparently continues and will continue, but I am confident that it will be repealed sooner or later, and that there will be freedom again for everyone in Kosovo. Primarily for Serbs who have been living in enclaves for 25 years, but also for all those who help them and wholeheartedly support them outside Kosovo," Gouillon concluded.