Mijacic: Sveçla's statement is inappropriate, education and healthcare are resolved within the framework of dialogue

Dragisa Mijacic, coordinator of the Working Group of the National Convention on the EU for Chapter 35, commented on the recent statement by Kosovo's Minister of Police, Xhelal Sveçla, regarding the functioning of healthcare and education in Serbian communities in Kosovo. Speaking to Kosovo Online, Mijacic said that it is "indicative" that the Minister of Police is discussing these sectors, adding that it reflects how the Kosovo government operates.

"We are in the midst of an election campaign, so we can expect various statements like Mr. Sveçla's," Mijacic said, reacting to the minister's earlier statement that education and healthcare would no longer function under the Serbian system and would be integrated into Kosovo's legal framework.

He pointed out that it is unusual for the Minister of Police to talk about the functioning of healthcare and education.

"Surely, we should be hearing something from the Minister of Health and the Minister of Education, not the police regulating the operations of these important institutions in Serbian areas. This alone shows how the Kosovo government functions—by sending a message to Kosovo Serbs through a repressive police element about whether they should have healthcare and education, and under what conditions. It is truly an inappropriate statement. Education and healthcare are matters that are addressed within the framework of the Brussels dialogue, everything that is being negotiated between the two sides, and are certainly defined by the Kosovo Constitution and the Ahtisaari Plan," Mijacic explained.

He added that the Minister of Police should focus on other issues, not on the functioning of these two institutions in Serbian communities.