Nikolic: Kurti will not be able to break the Serb List

The Chairwoman of the Committee for Kosovo and Metohija of the Serbian Parliament, Danijela Nikolic, stated today that the remarks made by Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti, that Serbia is the one destabilizing the situation, are actually his spin, and emphasized that the Assistant Director of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija, Igor Popovic, was arrested solely for reminding people of the suffering of Serbs in Kosovo. Nikolic also stated that Kurti will not succeed in breaking the Serb List ahead of the upcoming local elections.

“That is Kurti’s spin. Everything he does is calculated, and he is not acting alone. Igor Popovic was arrested for reminding people of the tragedy of the Serbian people, of all the suffering Serbs have endured,” Nikolic said in an interview with TV Pink, recalling that proceedings are currently ongoing at the Hague Tribunal for crimes committed by the KLA against Serbs.

Nikolic pointed out that it is clearly forbidden in Kosovo to say anything that doesn’t fit into the narrative and policy of Albin Kurti, who, she noted, is now trying to curry favor with KLA veterans.

“We know that Kurti used to criticize the KLA, saying they should be held accountable and face the past… But now, as he loses political ground and voters, he has decided to cozy up to them. That was followed by Popovic’s arrest, with absurd claims that someone was recording something… But those (Brussels) talks aren’t held in secret. This is revenge. It is not the same thing, but by accusing him of cooperating with security structures, Kurti is actually retaliating for what our security agencies uncovered about the explosion on the Ibar-Lepenac canal, when Kurti immediately blamed Serbs and unjustly arrested people,” Nikolic said.

She also stressed that Kurti, having failed to influence the outcome of the February 9 elections, where record turnout by Serbs sent a clear “no” to him, is now trying again ahead of the local elections on October 12.

“He is doing everything to delegitimize the Serb List, even trying to label it as a terrorist organization. That is why he seized the moment to have summonses from the prosecutor’s office sent to Igor Simic, Slavko Simic, and Dr. Zlatan Elek. Yet we know that the same Kurti refused a summons from the prosecutor’s office regarding a corruption case against him. He doesn’t respect his own institutions, but Serbs have to,” Nikolic remarked.

She went on to list a series of convictions against Serbs that were handed down without material evidence or proven guilt.

“Milenkovic and Vlajic were each sentenced to five years, a Serb from Kosovo Polje was sentenced to 15 years for an alleged war crime in Prizren, and yesterday it was Antovic... All of this is systemic repression and institutional discrimination being carried out in Kosovo and Metohija, if you have a Serbian name, a Serbian flag. For every word spoken, you get a prison sentence. They refuse to face their past, and we see that many others in the region refuse as well,” Nikolic added.

She stated that the issue of Kosovo is not something that can be resolved solely within Serbia, but requires involvement from the international community. However, she pointed out the absurdity of Serbia appealing to an international community that allows the arrest of Igor Popovic, permits rigged trials, fails to act on more than 30 complaints of sexual harassment against women, supports the confiscation of Serbian property, and recognizes election results with just 2% voter turnout.

“The strength of the people is great. People are struggling, it is difficult, but I believe in the victory of the Serb List. Kurti will not be able to break the Serb List because it defends our identity and is the pillar of that defense in Kosovo and Metohija,” Nikolic stated.

She added that the tragedy of Kurti’s policies is also reflected in the fact that, in a parliamentary system recognized by the international community, and even in the presence of ambassadors in the chamber, he still cannot manage to constitute the Assembly.