Radojkovic: New government in Belgrade will seek to maintain Serbia's current positions in Kosovo

Historian Stefan Radojkovic believes that, for the time being, the new Serbian government led by the Student List will seek to maintain the status quo on the Kosovo issue. As he told Kosovo Online, this means there will be no further deterioration in the position of Serbs in Kosovo, the new government will avoid inflammatory statements, but at the same time will not allow the position of the Republic of Serbia in Kosovo to be further undermined.

“Nothing will change. In other words, the future government that will be formed will not recognize the Pristina administration. The big question is whether, over the coming year or two, they will view Kosovo and Metohija exclusively as an internal issue of the Republic of Serbia or address it within the framework of the Brussels dialogue,” Radojkovic said.

He believes that addressing the issue within the framework of the Brussels dialogue would, in essence, represent a slight departure from their programme, as it would mean closer engagement between Serbia's new administration and the Brussels administration.

“Based on everything we have heard, the government that will be formed in the post-authoritarian period will focus primarily on strengthening and restoring institutions, establishing democracy and freeing the media. There will probably also be changes to the electoral system, which certainly needs reform. In this regard, it seems to me that the second option is more likely, namely that Kosovo and Metohija will be viewed exclusively as an internal issue of the Republic of Serbia. However, there will be a certain status quo, with efforts to maintain Serbia's current positions in Kosovo and Metohija. By this, I mean institutions in the fields of culture, healthcare and education. Once administrative matters within the Republic of Serbia begin to be resolved, more intensive work on Kosovo and Metohija can then begin,” Radojkovic said.

Asked how the new government would approach the agreements reached through the dialogue in Brussels and Ohrid in 2023, our interlocutor said that anyone who knew the answer would probably be able to make millions betting on it.

He also noted that those agreements were, in effect, on life support.

“In this regard, it seems to me that the Student List, or its government, will not get involved in this issue for the time being, as it would effectively require talks within the Brussels dialogue, which is not currently among the new government's priorities. I believe it is understood that Kosovo and Metohija will be viewed in accordance with the constitutional provisions and the Constitution's preamble, but that there will be no insistence on these agreements, nor will they be revised. This does not mean they will not be addressed at some point, but during the first year or two, I think they will effectively be shelved, much like the issue of EU accession, which also seems to have been put on hold. It is not on the table and is not a topic for discussion at present. There will be a time and place to discuss these issues and take specific steps,” Radojkovic said.