Jevtic: We will not stop saying that we belong to the Serbian people; I do not expect the Assembly to be constituted

Deputy leader of the Serb List Dalibor Jevtic said that his party would again nominate Slavko Simic for deputy speaker of the Kosovo Assembly today and that it would not give up using the term “Serbian people,” since it is a fact.

As Jevtic told RTS, they were not surprised that Assembly Speaker Albulena Haxhiu interrupted the constitutive session of parliament on Wednesday because the term “Serbian people” was used when proposing the Serbian candidate for deputy speaker.

“Perhaps this is a surprise to the wider public, but not to us. What happened on Wednesday was Kurti slapping the international community in the face, while it continues to remain silent about what Kurti is doing. Self-Determination now wants to prevent us from identifying ourselves as the Serbian people. The ultimate political goal, alongside the blockade that has been going on for almost two years, is to erase everything Serbian from Kosovo and Metohija by any means possible,” he said.

He added that the Serb List MPs would act in the Assembly today as they had done so far.

“We did not give up before either, when the Self-Determination Movement refused to vote for a Serbian deputy speaker. Our proposal will be the same, namely MP Slavko Simic, who has experience and has held that position for quite some time. We certainly will not give up saying what is a fact, namely that we belong to the Serbian people. I do not expect the Assembly to be constituted today, because Albin Kurti wants to buy time so that he can schedule the elections, which we will have in any case, for a date that suits him,” Jevtic said.

He assessed that this was Kurti's political maneuvering.

“Kurti wants to have all the levers of power because he does not know how to do otherwise. With such a potential victory in the next elections, Kurti would manage to implement what he has in mind, what he calls the ‘Third Republic.’ There is no room for Serbs to live there. This ‘Third Republic’ is a prelude to his ultimate goal, which is ‘Greater Albania,’” the deputy leader of the Serb List explained.

Regarding the demolition of structures in Serbian areas around Lake Gazivode, Jevtic said this was another example that there is no rule of law in Kosovo when it comes to Serbs.

“In addition to arrests of Serbs without evidence, as well as the demolitions at Lake Gazivode, it is clear that there is no justice for Serbs. There are thousands of illegally built structures in Kosovo and Metohija. There is a possibility of legalizing them, but instead, they have to be demolished precisely where Serbs live. I have cited the example of the municipality of Strpce. When I was mayor, a procedure was initiated for the demolition of an illegally built structure after an Albanian businessman built a vacation home. That structure has still not been demolished to this day. This is a clear example of the attitude toward the Serbian people,” Jevtic said.

Asked whether he expected the European Union to move from words to action, Jevtic said there was such an expectation, but also stressed that the Serbs would not give up their struggle.

“What the EU will do is not a question for us. There is certainly an expectation. We tell them that we do not need words of condemnation, but concrete decisions when it comes to stopping everything Kurti is doing, given that he is institutionally terrorizing the Serbian people,” Jevtic explained.

Speaking about the security situation in Kosovo, he said it was always fragile.

“Especially at a time when the verdict in The Hague is expected. There is great concern about what could happen, regardless of what the verdict is. A major march has been announced for tomorrow in Pristina. In talks with KFOR representatives, we asked them to ensure full security for the Serbs,” Jevtic said.