Markovic: Behind the speculation of political elites in Kosovo about the number of Serbs lies the intention to avoid the CSM

Nikola Markovic, a researcher at the Institute for International Politics and Economy in Belgrade, stated to Kosovo Online that Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti’s claim that there are fewer Serbs in Kosovo than Albanians in Serbia is no coincidence. According to Markovic, whenever a count of Serbs begins, it becomes evident that the Pristina government’s intention is to avoid implementing agreements it has signed, particularly the obligation to establish the Community of Serb Municipalities.

Kurti made his statement about the number of Serbs in Kosovo during an interview with Sarajevo-based Hayat TV on a recent visit to the city. Two days later, his deputy in government, Besnik Bislimi, echoed the same estimate on the social media platform "X."

Markovic argues that the political elite in Kosovo’s intention to significantly reduce the number of Serbs is further evidenced by calls from Selim Pacolli, the brother of Behgjet Pacolli, the leader of the Alliance for a New Kosovo, for a new "Operation Storm" against Serbs.

"Last year, they announced plans to seize 150 apartments from Serbs in northern Kosovska Mitrovica. Now, similar actions are being extended to other northern towns, offering no guarantee to Serbs that any coexistence between Albanians and Serbs is possible," Markovic noted.

According to Markovic, no one knows the exact number of Serbs in Kosovo, and such figures cannot be based on the speculation of Kosovo’s elites, especially when Serbs face daily terror.

He also questiones the number of Albanians in Kosovo, regardless of the census conducted in April and May this year, as a large portion of them live abroad.

"A huge number of people returned to Kosovo just to be counted in the census. On the other hand, Serbs refused to participate in the census due to the intentions of the so-called Kosovo state toward them, which is understandable. If you have repression against a people, distort agreements you’ve signed, and refuse to implement them, how can you expect anyone to participate in a fair census?" Markovic said.

He adds that indicators such as mobile phone usage or the amount of bread needed to feed the population suggest that there are not 1.6 million Albanians in Kosovo, as claimed in Pristina, but significantly fewer.

"At the start of 2024, visas were lifted for Kosovo Albanians, opening the way for them to travel to Western Europe. It is estimated that in just the first two months, 80,000 to 90,000 people left Kosovo," Markovic said.

Markovic also notes that Kurti’s timing in making his statement about the number of Serbs in Sarajevo, followed by a visit to Zagreb, was deliberate. In Zagreb, Kurti spoke before Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic, claiming that Serbia is not a democratic state and that democracy has never existed there.

"It is somewhat ironic for someone whose state has not resolved over a hundred attacks on Serbs in the past two years, who violates international agreements and domestic laws daily, to speak about democracy. For years, the Kosovo government has refused to resolve the property issues of the Visoki Decani Monastery, despite a ruling from the Constitutional Court of Kosovo," Markovic pointed out.