Jevtic: I don't expect anything from Kurti; from the “big five“ I expect conditions for the formation of the CSM

The Vice President of the Serb List, Dalibor Jevtic, stated to Kosovo Online that he expected the special envoys of the EU, the US, France, Germany, and Italy, who had visited Belgrade and Pristina yesterday, to finally create mechanisms that would enable the establishment of the Community of Serb-majority Municipalities. As for Albin Kurti himself, he has no expectations.

"First, I have no expectations regarding Kurti, regardless of what he may have said or promised to them at the meeting. The President of France also said that there had been promises made in the past that were not fulfilled. That's why I don't expect anything to change," Jevtic said.

However, he still expects that at the very least, the "big five" understand that avoiding the implementation of previously reached agreements means that someone not only does not want peace, stability, and dialogue but also desires to stoke conflict and escalate the situation on the ground.

"This 'five' needs to finally create mechanisms that will enable the establishment of the Community of Serb-majority Municipalities. Personally, with my colleagues, I heard from Lajcak and Escobar at the beginning of the year that the CSM will be formed as a prerequisite for resolving other issues and making new agreements. It is not just a political matter but a matter of the survival and life of the Serbs," Jevtic emphasized.

In this sense, he expects the international community to take action in fulfilling their part of the obligations, as they were guarantors of what was agreed upon.

"In 2019, here in Washington, when asked about expectations by White House interlocutors before Kurti became Prime Minister, I said I had no expectations. And that has been confirmed," Jevtic said, who participated in Washington at a conference called "Prayer for peace, stability, and justice", dedicated to Kosovo, organized by the Embassy of Serbia in the USA.

Regarding the question of elections in the north, which the Serb List invited Pristina to announce, Jevtic responds that they were aware that Pristina does not want elections.

"The only reaction is that the mayors do not want to resign because they want to govern with 2-3% support," Jevtic noted.

This, he adds, further describes the attitude towards the Serbs and, if anyone had any doubts, it reveals that Kurti does not want to normalize, stabilize, and de-escalate the situation in northern Kosovo but is working against all of that.

"There is no reaction, and there will not be one. They not only do not want elections but will continue to work on everything that will escalate the situation. It is high time for the international community to react and put a stop to all of this because if it does not happen, the situation can only get worse, and we do not need that," Jevtic concluded.

He says that it is important that discussions about the position of the Serbs, their lives, and the situation in Kosovo are taking place in Washington so that the Serbian diaspora in the United States can firsthand acquaint themselves with the facts.

"Because every one of our fellow countrymen in the US can make our voice stronger and make the truth heard more often. There is a difference between what can be heard through the media or seen on social media and when you are more thoroughly informed about the situation of the Serbs in Kosovo," Jevtic noted.

"It is a significant thing that the Embassy of Serbia organized this conference because it is also a clear message that we advocate for peace and stability in Kosovo and Metohija. And our fellow countrymen who live here, to the extent that they can, can help convey our message of peace and the normalization of life in Kosovo and Metohija to the US public," Jevtic said.

He is convinced that the truth must be heard in order to change the situation, adding that the international community, including the United States, needs to be more active in resolving this problem.

"We should not find ourselves in a situation where there's a conflict, and then someone says, 'Now it's too late,'" Jevtic warned.

He said that the Serbs in Kosovo wanted a normal and peaceful life, to be themselves on their land, without endangering anyone. However, he says that in Pristina, there is someone who wants the opposite, especially wanting the Serbs to leave the Kosovo region.

"We must do everything to prevent a new conflict because we are on the brink of conflict. We need to prevent clashes because it is in the least interest of us Serbs to have a conflict. We call on our fellow countrymen in the United States to do everything they can to prevent a potential conflict and what we fear, further displacement of the Serbs from Kosovo. They can do it with their words and actions, and many of them are already doing so, for which we are grateful. The voice of our fellow countrymen in the United States is important because our country is represented not only by the Embassy in the US, but by every one of our fellow countrymen, and I expect that this voice becomes stronger and that the truth is heard more frequently after this conference," Jevtic said.