Starovic: De-escalation still means the formation of the CSM and the withdrawal of police from the vicinity of municipal buildings

State Secretary of the Ministry of Defense of Serbia, Nemanja Starovic, tells Kosovo Online that de-escalation today, after the tragic events in Banjska, entails the same as before them. This aligns with the official statement of the European Union from June 3, which emphasizes the need for the immediate formation of the Community of Serb-majority Municipalities and the withdrawal of Kosovo Special Police units from the immediate vicinity of municipal buildings in northern Kosovo.

"If the question is what de-escalation entails today after the tragic events in Banjska on September 24th, it represents the same as before these tragic events. I believe that once the passions calm down and when this dark campaign, coming from Pristina,  and unfortunately, from many international addresses, aimed at shifting blame onto the state authorities of the Republic of Serbia, which does not pass the test of common sense or elementary logic, is restrained, we will return to what remains. And what remains is the official statement of the European Union from June 3rd, which calls for de-escalation and explains in quite some detail what that de-escalation must entail," Starovic says.

He reminds that this statement emphasizes the need for immediate action, meaning the immediate formation of the CSM and the withdrawal of Kosovo Special Police units from the immediate vicinity of municipal buildings in northern Kosovo.

"This statement from the 27 EU member states emphasizes the need for immediate and without delay formation of the CSM and the withdrawal of Kosovo Special Police units from the immediate vicinity of municipal buildings in northern Kosovo. Regardless of how much the Pristina side is now trying to retroactively justify all its unilateral moves, which have led to de-escalation in the last 20 months, I want to believe that this will not be the case and that we will indeed proceed with substantial de-escalation to relieve the incredible pressure that the Serbs in the north of Kosovo and Metohija has been exposed to for a full 20 months," Starovic says.