Jaksic: Kosovo is still perceived in Serbia as a party issue, not a state-building issue

Why there is no political consensus on Kosovo is a painful question for Serbia, to which, unfortunately, neither the current nor previous government or opposition have provided an answer, according to political commentator and journalist Bosko Jaksic. He points out that Kosovo is a primary state-building issue, not a party one, but it is still perceived and treated differently.

"And in that, it seems to me, lies the answer to why there is no consensus: Kosovo is perceived as a party issue, used to criticize the government merely for criticism's sake or as an argument for its change and overthrow, without serious thought and analysis to support a solution. So, there is no general consensus on whether the Kosovo issue should be resolved and how to resolve it. If such a consensus were established, the resolution would be easier. However, that doesn't exist, and this pre-election campaign confirms the sad state of affairs that the opposition, even the civic, pro-European one, does not show clarity in its stance on Kosovo. In contrast to this right-wing, patriotic opposition, which has a clear rejection stance absolutely contrary to the intentions of the government and President Aleksandar Vucic to resolve the Kosovo problem in accordance with the European plan," Jaksic notes for Kosovo Online.

He also emphasizes that the campaign for the early parliamentary elections scheduled for December 17 once again shows the "normalcy of the electorate in Serbia, which, like in most other countries, is primarily interested in the standard of living and then in all other issues."

"Although it has often been the practice for Kosovo to be launched as a top pre-election topic just before elections, that is not the case now. It seems to me that, on a scale of 1 to 10, Kosovo would be somewhere in the middle of that scale. In any case, in a very important place, as an issue that has been pressing this society for decades should be," Jaksic says.

He recalls that there have been attempts in the past to conduct something that was conceived as a broad national dialogue on the Kosovo issue.

"For years, decades, I have advocated the view that the Kosovo issue is too important to be left only to politicians, analysts, generals. Various sectors of society must indeed be included in that dialogue, from the mentioned generals, security personnel, to mining engineers, experts in the power industry and water, representatives of the Serbian Orthodox Church, museum curators, or, in other words, the widest range of people. We had one attempt so far that was unsuccessful because it was under a party umbrella. This again shows that there is no width to bring together representatives of various professions who have something to say about the Kosovo problem, and then, based on that, through debate and analysis, arrive at the best solutions for Serbia's interests. Then, a framework is defined that is not deviated from afterward. We don't have that framework, and it is only an expression of party self-love or narrow party interests that, when faced with such a state-building issue, unfortunately, we cannot reach a real solution that will not be contested and that will unite the country rather than divide it," Jaksic notes.

When asked about how the lack of consensus on Kosovo complicates Belgrade's positions in negotiations with Pristina but also in relations with the EU and the US, Jaksic believes that it hinders the positions of negotiators more than it has an impact internationally.

"The international community, or the West, also has its selfish interests, and they are only interested in the normalization of relations between Belgrade and Pristina. How that is achieved, whether everyone stands behind it, negotiators in the West and those dealing with it in Washington and Brussels don't care much," Jaksic says.

He adds that these divisions on the domestic scene do have an impact.

"We see how rhetoric changes, especially before elections. President Vucic intensifies negative rhetoric, claiming very resolutely that Serbia will never recognize Kosovo, that he will not sign agreements from Brussels and Ohrid, and that all that, in his words, falls apart. But that is in the function of elections and calming opposition and that part of the public that opposes the solution. Although it is clear to all of us that the European plan will be activated after the elections, that is, after the formation of a new government. So, it can be seen how much this affects our internal political events," Jaksic points out.

He believes that it would be much better "if President Vucic could clearly say – this is the plan for Kosovo, I am going to the elections with it," and try to gather the electorate around it.

"This way, the electorate is divided, which later, in the next phase, complicates the implementation of the agreement. When the government is formed and concrete steps are taken to implement what has been agreed upon in Brussels and Ohrid, then the ruling party will experience a drop in popularity. But now, by maneuvering, it avoids that happening before the elections, but after the elections, it has time. In the ultimate line, Vucic said that there would be no new elections until 2027, which I believe is not accidental, precisely to create a longer timeframe in which the expected dissatisfaction of a significant part of the public when this is finalized will be amortized," Jaksic concludes.