Savkovic: A political agreement would bring security, but we are moving further away from it

Marko Savkovic, senior advisor at the ISAC Fund, tells Kosovo Online that the solution to security issues in northern Kosovo would be the relatively quick achievement of a political agreement acceptable to both sides, but he emphasizes that everyone is aware this is unlikely to happen.
He points out that all research shows a lack of trust in the Kosovo Police, particularly in how it operates in the north. He mentions that a highly representative public opinion survey is forthcoming, which will confirm this lack of trust.
"At the same time, recent events and the ongoing militarization of northern Kosovo, which has been happening for over two years, leave little room for dialogue. The measures we are witnessing are mostly repressive. The behavior of the police, especially its special forces, toward the local population is highly problematic. This alienates the local population from the authorities in Pristina, moving us further and further away from a compromise solution," Savkovic stated.
When asked whether the return of Serbs to the Kosovo Police could improve security and whether this is feasible under current circumstances, Savkovic responded that the return of Serbs to the Kosovo Police is essential.
"Under current circumstances, it doesn’t seem possible, but it is necessary because it is part of the Brussels Agreement, something the Serbian community in Kosovo ultimately accepted. Life was incomparably easier when representatives of the majority community in that area were part of the police, in line with previous agreements. However, I fear new attempts to further alter the reality on the ground. There have been numerous unilateral moves, some of them quite successful, to change the situation for the majority community in that area. We will see what happens. We are in a peculiar situation, with upcoming elections in Germany, the end of the mandate of dialogue mediator Mr. Lajcak, and new personnel in Brussels. All of this has significantly prolonged the process, and the international context is very unfavorable for the resumption of dialogue," Savkovic assessed.
Regarding the attack on the Ibar-Lepenac canal, Savkovic notes that KFOR confirmed that Pristina had requested to deploy military forces to the north after the incident, but the request was denied.
"There will now be many theories and speculations, as there were last year. However, last year’s incidents involved direct confrontations, while this appears to be sabotage and an attack on the soft underbelly of Kosovo’s critical infrastructure. It has long been speculated that this was one of the potential targets for such sabotage. The timing should also be considered, Kosovo's elections are near, and the US administration is in transition. It is possible that various actors, for different reasons, sought to use the remaining time to position themselves as favorably as possible for the new circumstances," Savkovic concluded.
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