Municipal assembly of Strpce declares “Stojkova Kuca” a public interest property

The Municipal Assembly of Strpce today adopted a decision to declare "Stojkova Kuca," recently leased to the Kosovo Intelligence Agency by the Kosovo Privatization Agency, a property of public interest in the municipality.

The decision, adopted by a majority of assembly members, states that a property of public interest, spanning 165 square meters and registered in cadastral records as social property of the tourist company Sara, is declared as such.

The Kosovo Government is called upon to withdraw the property from the privatization and leasing process and return it to the ownership of the Municipality of Strpce to fulfill public interest purposes. The government is also urged to collaborate with the Kosovo Privatization Agency to take legal action to restore this property.

The rationale behind the decision emphasizes that the Municipality of Strpce, whose main economic activity is tourism, aims to preserve its tradition and cultural heritage. It asserts that, by law, the municipality has full and exclusive authority over the care of local interests.

It is stated that repurposing this property as a tourism museum and the Office for Tourism and Economic Development of the Municipality of Strpce will enable the local government to conduct activities of general public interest.

Dalibor Jevtic, Mayor of Strpce, said the goal of this decision is to protect the property, which holds historical and cultural significance for the municipality and its residents.

"We are initiating the procedure to declare this property as one of public interest for the Municipality of Strpce, thereby taking the first step toward protecting the citizens' interests. I can speak about the recent decisions of the Kosovo Privatization Agency, which, at the very least, should seek the consent of the local government for any activity, which is not the case here. There is a problem of ignoring the will of the citizens of Strpce because if elected institutional representatives lack the mechanisms to protect the citizens’ interests, then we face a problem that undermines the very essence of democracy in our society. The next step will be initiating an expropriation procedure in accordance with the law, which will involve creating a detailed report," said Jevtic.

He added that they will take all legally prescribed steps to protect "Stojkova Kuca" on Sar Mountain.