Simic: The purpose of Albin Kurti's actions is to make the lives of the Serbs impossible

The member of the Serb List, Igor Simic, emphasized that the intentions of Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti were to make life impossible for the Serbs in Kosovo and prevent them from surviving in their centuries-old hearths.

Simic, speaking on the TV Pink show 'Hit Tvit', stated that these were some of the most challenging days for the Serbs in Kosovo since 1999.

“Obviously, Albin Kurti wants to resolve the Serbian issue in Kosovo and Metohija at any cost, and I will use the term of the President of the Serb List, Zlatan Elek, he wants to carry out 'Operation Storm' without a single shot fired, to make life impossible for the Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija, both in the north and south, to prevent the functioning of institutions, to prevent the payment of personal incomes, to stop the entire life and prevent Serbs from surviving on their centuries-old hearths,“ Simic says.

The silence of the international community, he adds, is the most worrying for the people in Kosovo because their statements are anemic and repeat every day, and nothing comes out of it.

He recalls that similar statements were made for vaccines during the coronavirus pandemic, as well as referendums, and the Serbs had nothing to gain from it, except a worse situation for their families on their centuries-old hearths.

Speaking about the large number of Serbs affected by the decision of the CBK to ban the dinar, Simic emphasizes that what currently encourages the people in Kosovo is that the state of Serbia stands behind them and will do everything to ensure that life continues.

"If a solution is not reached, 100,000 Serbs are directly impacted. I'm talking about the cessation of functioning," he states.

He emphasizes that the Serbs in Kosovo survive thanks to financial aid from Serbia, and Kurti understood that.

"There is no way for a normal life because there is no life at all. The Serbs have survived all these years thanks to Serbia's budget contributions. If there were none of that, there would be no Serbs in Kosovo, and we've talked about it in the past, and Albin Kurti seriously understands that and has made a phenomenal plan to achieve his goal - to have no Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija or to leave just enough for the formation of the CSM to be meaningless," Simic says.

He reiterates that statements are not enough and that urgent steps from the international community are needed, as shown by the example of the German mark.

"KFOR must protect the Serbs, not allow them to watch how they break into clinics and harass doctors and nurses who treat both Serbs and Albanians, even police officers," Simic adds.

Simic said that Pristina, through attacks on the SOC, wanted to rewrite history.

"They have also targeted the SOC; they want to rewrite history, and now the Serbian dinar is in line, all with a benevolent attitude from the opposition in Belgrade," Simic said.

As he added, every Serb who stayed in Kosovo was a winner.

"I know what the Albanians and Kurti think of us, but the messages from the Serbs hurt more," he stated.

About the special police forces' raids in clinics and municipalities, he says that Kurti thinks he has defeated Serbia and President Aleksandar Vucic, but that did not happen.

"They stole a piece of bread from an old man in Osojane, a chocolate bar from a child's hands. I don't know what Kurti is proud of, whether because he knocked down a billboard or stole a piece of bread from the elderly. That hurts the Serbs. It's the beginning of the month, bills are coming. People need to know what they will do. What will happen with loans, what about bills, how to provide breakfast for schoolchildren," he says.

Simic stated that Kurti had already filed criminal charges against 80 Serbs.

"We need unity and solidarity; this is not a political issue but a national one. We should not score cheap political points," Simic states.

He said that some opposition members did not understand how things work.

Simic pointed out that due to bad agreements and political decisions from before, the Serbs continued to suffer.

"All the hardship we are experiencing today is a decision of Albin Kurti, not Vucic, as the opposition claims," he stated, recalling of how much the opposition in Serbia "values Kurti".

As a significant fact, he noted that 14 percent of Serbs had left the territory of Kosovo in the past year, making survival difficult, however, the Serbs could always rely on two pillars: the church and the state.

"Kurti knows this, which is why he wants to seize the property of the SOC and abolish the assistance from the Republic of Serbia," Simic said.

"Everything difficult that we are going through today, comes as a decision of Albin Kurti, not Vucic as the opposition says", he said, reminding how much the opposition in Serbia "appreciates Kurti".

He stated as an important fact that 14 percent of Serbs left the territory of Kosovo in the past year and that it is difficult to survive, but that Serbs can always rely on two pillars - the church and the state.

"Kurti knows this, that's why he wants to seize the property of the Serbian Orthodox Church, as well as cancel the aid of the Serbian state," said Simic.

He reminds that according to all acts and agreements signed from 1999 until now, including the plan of Martti Ahtisaari, which was incorporated into the Kosovo Constitution, guarantees the Serbs the right to finance.

"The Ohrid and Brussels agreements guarantee Serbia's right to finance the life and survival of Serbs. Kurti ignores it because he knows that it is the lifeline and the umbilical cord which if cut there will be no Serbs," said Simic.

Speaking about the military arming of Serbia and the introduction of military service, Simic said that freedom is not taken for granted and it is not given as a gift.

"Without a strong Serbia in the economic, military, and diplomatic sense, there is no remaining Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija, in central Serbia, Republic of Srpska, Montenegro, Macedonia, wherever they live. There is no state without an army, you don't have sovereignty if you don't have military force to defend it," he says.

That investment is not, as some say, preparation for war, but rather the defense of peace, adds Simic.

"When you're strong enough, you can be sure that you won't be a part of someone else's games to be cheated on. Difficult times have come, let's put divisions aside and be aware of the moment we are in so that we are ready to give answers to some difficult questions that are coming. We have to trust each other," he said.

As he stated, the position of the Serb List is clear.

"We have no one but Serbia, Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija have no one but Serbia and other citizens. Bosniaks, Goranians, Roma, and some Albanians live among us in Kosovo and Metohija, who remember well what it was like to live in the administrative sense and function as part of the Republic of Serbia. If they were not afraid, they would say so," says Simic.

Speaking about the media, Simic emphasized that Albanian journalists have self-censorship.

"Serbs are being beaten, there are no articles about it. Kosovo police shoot children in Christmas parties, there are no articles about it. It is a closed system in which there is no place to talk about the suffering of Serbs and criticism," he says.

He also adds that when the State Department talks about breaking into institutions, and when the US ambassador talks about the suspension of the Dinar, there is not a single word of criticism on that topic in the media.

Simic points out that there is no national solidarity, and reminds that there are Serbs who serve the regime of Albin Kurti.

"Radomirovic, as a deputy minister, himself printed and pasted several posters against the Serb List, published on his profile what the Serbian people were thinking...Then a video came out showing him doing it," he says.

Finally, Simic states that Serbs from Kosovo are no longer afraid of anything.

"We are worried about some things, overnight, tomorrow morning we continue on. We take children to kindergartens and schools, we go to workplaces and we fight, convinced that one day we will see freedom. I want everyone to know that. In that process and that struggle, every breath of wind of support from our country means a lot to us. We only lose what we give up. With our existence in Kosovo and Metohija, we testify that we have not given up and that we have not surrendered," said Simic.