Radojevic: Citizens’ petition must be considered, international community turning a blind eye to Pristina’s actions

Former mayor of North Mitrovica, Milan Radojevic, stated that the municipality is legally obligated to review the citizens’ petition against the construction of new bridges, however, he criticized the government in Pristina for acting in an authoritarian manner and abusing its powers to the detriment of the Serbian community. He called on the international community to stop tolerating the unilateral actions of outgoing Prime Minister Albin Kurti.

“In democratic societies, every form of petition should be taken seriously. The Municipality of North Mitrovica has a legal obligation to consider a petition once it is submitted, to bring it before the municipal assembly and make a decision about it. So in democratic societies, we expect the petition to be taken under consideration,” Radojevic told Kosovo Online.

The problem, he emphasized, is that Kosovo is governed by an "authoritarian and undemocratic regime that is turning into a dictatorship."

“As we can see, absolutely no institutions in Pristina are functioning. There is no parliament, and the government is operating in a caretaker capacity, which should not even have the legitimacy to make such major decisions. Unfortunately, this is being abused to the detriment of the Serbian community,” he said.

Radojevic warned that it is high time for the international community to stop turning a blind eye to Albin Kurti’s unilateral actions, which are worsening the security situation in Kosovo.

“We have seen in the past that the only institution that holds some authority in dealings with Kurti is KFOR. KFOR has made it clear several times that opening the main bridge is a dangerous move. In fact, through certain actions, like exercises on the main bridge and the deployment of mechanized units and troops, they sent a clear signal that they would not allow it,” he stressed.

Radojevic expressed hope that there will be a change of government at the central level in Pristina, and that, eventually, a new local administration will be able to establish normal cooperation with the central authorities, ones that will be more attentive to the needs of the Serbs living in the area.