Jevtic: Licensing of Serbian institutions following the example of MTS and Elektrosever a possible solution until the formation of CSM

The President of the Municipality of Strpce, Dalibor Jevtic, stated that following a series of unilateral actions by the authorities in Pristina, licensing Serbian institutions following the example of MTS and Elektrosever could be a practical solution to enable the Serbian community in Kosovo to function normally until the Community of Serb Municipalities is formed.

“Of course, it is very good in practice to find solutions that allow certain institutions to operate, such as the case with solving the issue of electricity billing, which led to the establishment of the company Elektrosever, or resolving telecommunications issues in Serbian areas, which resulted in MTS receiving a license. So, these solutions are currently welcome and are practical for the situation we are in. We do not want to find ourselves in a situation where citizens are left without telecommunications, without electricity, or without other essential services,” Jevtic said.

He emphasized that the acting Prime Minister Albin Kurti is deliberately shutting down Serbian institutions to eliminate the rationale for forming the Community of Serb Municipalities.

“Kurti has begun shutting down all Serbian institutions in Kosovo and Metohija with the goal of one day being able to say in Brussels that there is no need to form the Community of Serb Municipalities because Serbian institutions no longer exist. But institutions are made up of people, and those people are still here. Physically closing down buildings may shut an institution on the surface, but practically, they will continue to exist as long as those people are receiving salaries for the jobs they perform. In that context, the CSM is something we will insist upon, because it is a step toward resolving the status of all these institutions that Kurti is trying to shut down,” he stressed.

He believes the closure of Serbian institutions is part of “a political process driven by Albin Kurti's ethno-nationalist regime in Pristina,” which is not aimed at solving problems, but at creating them.

Thus, he is skeptical that Kurti would accept an attempt to license Serbian institutions.

“If you ask him, you can be sure he will be against it. He was against Elektrosever being established as a separate company, against MTS operating in Kosovo and Metohija, against anything that in any way bears the prefix of a Serbian enterprise,” Jevtic said.

He pointed out that the citizens of Strpce are “victims of this process.”

“The Municipality of Strpce has been requesting a license for over three years to establish a local public utility company. This is further proof that Kurti does not want to grant such licenses. But for the sake of protecting our citizens and the services they should receive, licensing can be part of the process and a practical step toward resolving part of the problem. In the end, if the CSM had been formed, all of these issues would have been resolved, and we wouldn’t be in a situation where the entire process is used for political purposes and to create tensions,” Jevtic emphasized.

Condemning the raid on the premises of the Red Cross of Kosovo and Metohija, Jevtic said that this is another example of Pristina's double standards, since the organization is an international one and does not require a license to operate.

“The Red Cross of Serbia is an internationally recognized organization, yet it is now being treated differently, even though it does not need a license. Simply put, an internationally recognized organization should be present, especially one that deals with humanitarian issues. So everything Kurti is doing confirms that there is a political agenda behind it all, aimed at creating tensions and, most of all, displacing the Serbian population,” Jevtic concluded.