Rajic: The Serbs face a difficult period; KFOR and EULEX have shown that they give Kurti a free hand

Advisor to the Minister of Defense of Serbia, Predrag Rajic, expressed concern following yesterday's incidents in Banjska, in which an Albanian police officer and four individuals of Serbian nationality were killed, and that a very challenging period lies ahead for the Serbian community in Kosovo, during which they will face additional pressure from the regime of Albin Kurti.

Rajic warned in an interview with Kosovo Online that it was highly possible that the terror of Albin Kurti would not only continue but also intensify. He believes this is because KFOR, responsible for security in Kosovo, does not appear to be fully fulfilling its mandate to protect the Serbs.

"It seems that KFOR, tasked with preserving peace according to UN Security Council Resolution 1244 and other documents, simply does not want to fully fulfill its mandate, and that's what we can conclude. Instead of positioning themselves between the two sides during incidents, KFOR often stays on the sidelines and allows Kurti's regime to do as it pleases," Rajic said.

He pointed out that Serbia had been warning for over a year that Kurti's actions, which had begun with incidents related to license plates and identity cards, would escalate into incidents with broader consequences, including fatalities, as had happened yesterday when both Albanians and Serbs had been killed.

"It was only a matter of time before this happened because a part of the Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija no longer wanted to endure Kurti's terror. We cannot, of course, say that what happened is good; far from it. I also regret the death of the Albanian police officer. I believe he too is a victim of Kurti's adventurous and extremist actions because he put loyal people in dangerous situations that were constantly on the brink of spiraling out of control. I am, of course, particularly sorry for the young Serbs who lost their lives," Rajic stated.

He observed that the entire event in Banjska was a "sad situation that threatens to escalate again at some point."

Rajic emphasized his fear that what had happened yesterday would not be, and was not, an isolated incident as long as Kosovo Special Units (ROSU) were present in northern Kosovo, as long as Kurti insists on Albanian control of municipalities in the north without any legitimacy, as long as his radicalism persisted, and as long as the international community remained silent and took no action, or at most issues a few statements.

He believes that the international community is not fulfilling its obligation to prevent escalation on the ground.

"When such an incident occurs, we have seen that both Kfor and Eulex stand aside and give Kurti a free hand to do what he thinks he should do, and he clearly does not mean anything good for the Serbian community," Rajic concluded.

He reminds that EU representatives went public yesterday with the assessment that the Kosovo Police in Banjska had organized a "legitimate anti-terrorist operation".

According to his words, the EU believes that Kurti acted yesterday in accordance with Kosovo's laws, which are apparently the only valid ones for it.

"Serbian laws don't mean much to them if they mean anything at all. It seems to me that international regulations don't mean much to them either. They consider those Serbs, who rose up in the north of Kosovo and Metohija because they couldn't take it anymore, to be terrorists," he said.

Rajic, taking into account all the circumstances, does not see a positive way out of this situation in Kosovo and points out that it will continue to be very tense.

He says that the only thing left for the Serbs in Kosovo is to avoid provocations as much as possible.

"Now it is obvious that in every subsequent similar situation, KFOR and EULEX will react similarly, giving Kurti a free hand. And he will use all the force at his disposal, which is getting stronger thanks to their partners, to deal with the Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija," Rajic emphasized.

He added that Kurti's only goal was an ethnically cleansed Kosovo without Serbs, and ultimately, to provoke and involve the state of Serbia in a conflict and direct confrontation with NATO, as in 1999.

"That is his dream - to make Serbia and NATO go to war again. It's a devilish plan by Albin Kurti that will not come true, and which the state of Serbia will not accept. It's a trap that Kurti has been preparing for Serbia for over a year, but one that Serbia consistently avoids. Therefore, it is important for the Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija to remain united among themselves, to remain united with official Belgrade, not to make any hasty decisions, and not to fall for provocations," the advisor said.

He pointed out that, in addition, the Serbs have no other solution because, on the ground, there are Kurti and his radical elements carrying out terror, as well as the international community, which, he says, generally does not condemn this but, in a way, rather supports such actions by the Pristina regime.

Rajic also commented on the family of the killed police officer Afrim Bunjaku, which urged the Kosovo Prime Minister not to use the police in the north and to return to dialogue, stressing that their appeal was understandable and that Kurti wanted to gain political points even from the death of a police officer.

"I think that the Albanian political scene is not unified in that regard. It's clear; Kurti has faced resistance because he has damaged Pristina's relations with the West over the past year. The process of his dismissal has been initiated, and we will see how it will proceed. The family's gesture is entirely understandable because their father, son, brother, and husband have died, and he will not return home. Kurti wants to gain political points from it, but those points are not important to them; they have lost someone they hold dear and close. It's all very sad," Rajic said.

However, despite all the condemnations, Rajic believes that Kurti will try to complete his mandate until 2025 when Kosovo is scheduled to hold new elections.

During this period, the Kosovo Prime Minister will strive to radicalize the situation as much as possible because, as Rajic explains, he has nothing more to offer to voters than what he promised when he came to power.

"He came to power primarily with rhetoric promising to tackle organized crime, corruption, high unemployment, low incomes, and poor infrastructure. He has not done any of that for the Albanian community in Kosovo, so now he is offering cheap populism, demagoguery, nationalism, and chauvinism. All of this is directed toward the Serbian community in Kosovo and official Belgrade. He basically tells Albanians, 'All your problems will disappear when there are no more Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija,'" Rajic notes.

Unfortunately, such rhetoric about the Serbs in Kosovo is working well for Kurti.

"I fear that he will not give up on it, and whether opposition political forces in Kosovo will have the strength to deal with him politically and potentially lead to early elections, the near future will tell us. The situation there is quite complex, but that is precisely why he provokes such incidents - to portray that opposition as someone who is trying to bring him down just when he is 'dealing with Serbian terrorists.' That is why he essentially provokes such incidents, and that's why they essentially play into his hands," Rajic concluded.