Representatives of the Pupin Initiative: We will also highlight the problems of Serbs in northern Kosovo in Washington

Source: Kosovo Online

A three-member delegation of the Pupin Initiative, consisting of American and Serbian citizens, visited northern Kosovo as part of a multi-day trip to witness firsthand the situation of the Serbian community and the living conditions there.

The co-founder of the Pupin Initiative from San Francisco, Vladimir Milosevic, a member of the advisory board from Pennsylvania, Ivan Trifunovic, and the executive director, Vuk Velebit, during their visit, engaged in discussions with members of all communities in Kosovo, as well as with international representatives, in order to gather as much information as possible about the real situation of Serbs living in Kosovo.

After visiting western Kosovo, they spent two days in northern Kosovo, touring four municipalities where they held on-the-ground discussions with representatives of the civil sector, Serbian political representatives in Kosovo, as well as members of the Kosovo Police and KFOR.

In North Mitrovica, members of the Pupin Initiative met with representatives of the civil sector, the president and vice president of the Serbian List, Zlatan Elek and Dragisa Milovic, the former president of the Basic Court in North Mitrovica, Nikola Kabasic, and the president of Serbian Democracy, Aleksandar Arsenijevic. They also visited the Clinical-Hospital Center in Kosovska Mitrovica, where they spoke with the management of the institution.

After visiting the Clinical-Hospital Center in North Mitrovica, Vuk Velebit, the executive director of the Pupin Initiative, stated to Kosovo Online that they had a series of meetings in North Mitrovica, but after visiting the hospital, they are seriously concerned because the healthcare system is potentially facing a serious humanitarian crisis due to the lack of basic medicines needed to treat patients.

"The possibility that the next target of Albin Kurti could be healthcare institutions suggests that Kurti has no intention of stopping the institutional violence against Serbs. This is yet another pressure tactic aimed at forcing Serbs to leave this area. We will try to address these humanitarian issues of the Serbs in discussions with international representatives, as well as during our official visit to Washington," said Velebit.

During their visit to North Mitrovica, they took the opportunity to lay wreaths at the monument dedicated to the victims of NATO aggression against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and to pay their respects to the tragically deceased Milic brothers.

After their visit to North Mitrovica, the members of this delegation of Serbs from the United States also visited the municipality of Zubin Potok and the Gazivode Lake, where they spoke with local Serbs to learn more about the situation in this municipality.

An attempt to gather more information from Kosovo police officers in Zubin Potok about frequent complaints from local residents regarding the excessive use of force by the police ended with a Kosovo police officer advising the Pupin Initiative delegation to direct all inquiries and requests for statements to the headquarters in North Mitrovica.

During their stay in northern Kosovo, the representatives of the Pupin Initiative also visited the municipality of Leposavic.

They first visited the Noting Hill base in Popovacko Polje, where they expressed their gratitude to their fellow countrymen, U.S. soldiers, for their service and protection of Serbs in northern Kosovo. On this occasion, they gifted them handmade cookies.

The delegation also visited the vineyards of the Lakicevic Winery in the village of Kutnje.

Vladimir Milosevic from San Francisco, chairman of the Pupin Initiative, along with the other two Serbs, stated that he was impressed by the success of the entrepreneurs in northern Kosovo, despite the challenges they face in doing business.

"We are here as three members of the Pupin Initiative: Vuk, who is the executive director and my co-founder; I am the chairman of our board; and also Ivan Trifunovic, who is a member and provides significant help. We are here for four days, mainly to get to know the people on the ground, to hear their stories and experiences, so we can communicate them further. Here at the Lakicevic Winery, it’s great to see a business of ours that has managed to build something like this. This is very impressive anywhere, let alone in such a challenging environment," said Milosevic.

Milosevic’s first impression is that life for Serbs in Kosovo is even more difficult than they had imagined.

"It's difficult, perhaps more so than we expected. Of course, we read about it and follow everything, but somehow when you talk to people and see 'beneath the surface,' it becomes clearer. The situation is definitely difficult and complicated, and we hope that through this visit, we will better understand it, so we can communicate more effectively and ultimately do something," said Milosevic.

He added that they decided to visit Kosovo to see the real situation on the ground, so they could tell the Serbian story to the public in America.

"We organized ourselves after all these events around the bridge, the arrests of politicians, and the overall situation. We came on behalf of the Pupin Initiative, a nonprofit organization based in both Belgrade and Washington, which works to better tell the Serbian story and to explain more clearly to interested parties in Washington what is happening and what needs to be done," said Milosevic.

Djordje Lakicevic, a representative of the Lakicevic Winery, said that they presented everything about their work, wine production, and distribution, as well as the challenges they face in Kosovo.

"Among other things, we presented some of the problems we face here in Kosovo and Metohija, what should be improved, and what could be better. We introduced them to our wines, and they had the chance to taste them," stated Lakicevic.

He added that the challenges faced by businesses in Kosovo, including the Lakicevic Winery, which operates and produces under difficult conditions, are significant.

"Some of the issues include importing goods from Serbia, which would be much cheaper for us if we could do so. Additionally, communication with the authorities in Kosovo is difficult and not as it should be. These are all problems that complicate our business operations, and exporting goods outside the territory of Kosovo and Metohija is another challenge. So, in essence, there are many issues, but we are fighting through them for now," Lakicevic emphasized.