Jevtic: Before the elections, Pristina will take increasingly radical moves against Serbs

The president of the municipality of Strpce and vice president of the Serb List, Dalibor Jevtic, stated, in response to Pristina's attempts to seize Serbian property in that municipality, as well as in Gracanica and northern Kosovo, that the foundation of Albin Kurti's policy is the continuation of institutional violence and terror against Serbs. He warned that as the elections in Kosovo approach, Pristina will take increasingly radical actions against Serbs.

Jevtic told RTS that Pristina's goal in Strpce is to lease public buildings in the municipality, which are part of the "Inex" ski center Brezovica, even though the municipality has declared some of these buildings to be of public importance for local self-government.

This, he added, is not only happening in Strpce, considering yesterday's decision in Gracanica and everything that is happening in northern Kosovo.

"All of this aims not only to undermine the interests of municipalities with a Serbian majority, but they also want to influence the population's composition by giving that property to Albanians, especially Albanians who are not from these areas, thus changing the demographic structure," Jevtic warned.

The goal of such decisions, he emphasized, is to destabilize the situation ahead of the elections in Kosovo on February 9.

"As we approach the elections, the regime in Pristina will take increasingly radical steps, all with the aim of destabilization and attacks on Serbs in these areas," Jevtic pointed out.

When asked how dangerous the situation is, he replied that Serbs face daily challenges created by Albin Kurti.

As he reminded, the municipality of Strpce, on March 16 and then again on July 7, 2022, was the first to come under attack from Pristina's regime and that the Interim Municipal Authority was the first in Kosovo that Pristina's authorities closed, after which similar actions followed in northern Kosovo and in the municipality of Gora.

"In Strpce, we were under attack due to various excuses from Pristina. At one point, police units were almost regularly coming to us, creating a difficult situation. Imagine the decision to close the Social Work Center in Leposavic... They are attacking an institution important to the Serbian people, which cares for the most vulnerable. It is clear then what Kurti's goal is," Jevtic said.

When asked if it has ever been harder to be a Serb in Kosovo and Metohija, he answered that Serbs have gone through various periods and challenges from 1999 until today, including pogroms and crimes against the Serbian people, recalling the suffering of Serbs in Gorazde, Staro Gracko, Livadice, Cernica...

He notes that what Pristina is doing now is a kind of hybrid war, an attempt to expel Serbs using institutional repression.

"They stop at nothing. Many Serbs are unjustly imprisoned with the aim of intimidation. This is especially true in the north, but also south of the Ibar River, particularly in areas where Serbs wanted to return to their properties," Jevtic said.

In that regard, he mentioned the case of returnee Zarko Zaric from Ljubozda near Istok, who is now in custody and charged with war crimes.

"When I was the Minister for Communities and Return, when we were returning Serbs to their properties, we carried out all the checks, and there were no obstacles. Yet today, Zarko Zaric is in custody for war crimes... This is an example of everything being used to prevent the return and survival of Serbs," Jevtic stated.

When asked what he expects, or whether there will be any sanctions for Pristina or just continued tacit support from the international community, Jevtic pointed out that the international community was lenient in its efforts to stop everything Kurti was doing.

"Words and statements mean nothing to us. We have always demanded actions, real measures. We, Serbs, believe in Belgrade, in Serbia, in Aleksandar Vucic, in the Office for Kosovo and Metohija, in everything they are doing diplomatically and otherwise to prevent Kurti's ultimate goal, which is to drive all Serbs out of Kosovo and Metohija," Jevtic stated.

However, he also expects the international community to take action in the end, adding that elections are coming in the international arena as well, and it remains to be seen how things will unfold in the future.

"But, despite the problems and challenges, when we talk about these issues, we don't do it to complain or lament. We are not giving up the fight to stay and survive here. Every Serb and every Serbian woman in Kosovo and Metohija is a representative of the state of Serbia. We are Serbia in Kosovo and Metohija, and we have told this to both the representatives of Pristina and the international community. We believe that this situation will finally be resolved, and that we will survive and remain in Kosovo and Metohija, because the greatest interest of the Serbian people is to have peace and a normal life," Jevtic concluded.