Vucevic: The incidents in the north of Kosovo are a message to Serbs that they are not welcome

Serbian Defense Minister Milos Vucevic states that a series of "incidents, in the north of Kosovo and Metohija, were once again sending a message to Serbs that they were not welcome there," RTS reports.

Milos Vucevic said that Albin Kurti was making a series of unilateral moves with the aim of destabilization and non-respect of all agreements that had been reached.

"This happens continuously, primarily caused by the unilateral moves of the administration in Pristina. Unfortunately, last night there was the activation of several artillery strikes in Bosniak Mahala and Mikronaselje, that is, the most sensitive part of northern Kosovska Mitrovica, given that there is a mixed population and tensions are constantly present," Vucevic says.

He points out that the investigation is ongoing and adds that there are no injuries or major material damage.

"We will see what exactly happened. What our services have - what is available to us through the flow of information, is that there were no injuries and no major material damage. But it was obviously convenient for someone to cause tensions again and it is simply not allowed, not for a second, for that level of tension and the possibility of further escalation to be lowered to a more reasonable, normal, and rational level, and to return to the form of the dialogue,"  Vucevic says.

"Everything that Kurti is doing is aimed at cleaning Kosovo of Serbs"

Vucevic points out that the ultimate goal of Albin Kurti is to frighten and expel the Serbs from Kosovo.

"Through a series of incidents in the north of Kosovo and Metohija, Albin Kurti is once again sending a message to the Serbs: ”You are not welcome here and we will hold elections by force on December 18”. Albin Kurti and his government want to completely clean the area of Kosovo and Metohija of Serbs. He wants to expel the Serbs from Kosovo and Metohija", he points out.

He says that Serbs in Kosovo live in fear and that they have been exposed to some kind of pressure for years.

"We have to understand that, for them, this atmosphere has lasted for 23 years, that with minor or major interruptions, they are constantly exposed to some types of pressure: if the ID card is not the problem, then the license plates are, if not the license plate, then the tax control is a problem", the minister said.

One kind of pressure is now put on the Petrovic family in Velika Hoca, where their house has been blocked for days, due to suspicion that they are allegedly involved in the illegal production of wine and plum brandy.

"Now you see this shame in Velika Hoca, where they have a problem because someone produces plum brandy or wine, but has not paid some kind of excise tax or some kind of tax obligation, I don’t know anymore, so the force must be used. Their house has been besieged for days. They don't let the Serbs there breathe," the minister said.

We are dedicated to peace; we do not want war

He indicates that Serbia is committed to peace and preserving stability, that the dialogue is desirable, and that the state will do everything that can be done at the political level.

"And we will do everything to keep it that way. Serbia is not at war, our goal is that Serbia remains peaceful; our goal is for the region to remain in peace and stability, but for peace and stability we need the desire and will of other parties, not only the Serbian side ", Vucevic points out.

He points out that the Serbian Army is the most powerful guarantor of preserving the sovereignty and independence of our country and the strongest deterrent for all those who do not wish us well.

"We don't play war games or heroism, but there will be no 'Operation Flash', no 'Operation Storm', and no March 17, 2004."

Yesterday, two KFOR jeeps entered the yard of the kindergarten "Nasa radost" in Leposavic.

"Perhaps I can understand that it is possible that there really was a mistake regarding a maneuver, let's say, a tactical maneuver by KFOR. We believe that KFOR is aware of its obligations, it is the guarantor of peace and security and the protection of all citizens of Kosovo and Metohija.", the minister says.

He adds that there is constant two-way communication between the Chief of the General Staff of the Serbian Armed Forces and the KFOR commander.

The new text of the Franco-German proposal for Kosovo was forwarded to Belgrade and Pristina, and President Aleksandar Vucic stated that the new proposal compared to the previous one had not been improved regarding what was the most important for Serbia.

He considers the departure of President Aleksandar Vucic to the European Union - Western Balkans Summit in Tirana as a good move.

President Vucic is a solid leader

Speaking about media reports that an attack on Vucic was being prepared, he pointed out that the President of Serbia had been safe, but that it had not been by chance that the news about the danger had been spread through the media.

"The president has his policy and is a strong leader; he attracts attention and negative attitudes. I would not like it if everyone there praised him, I would be afraid for Serbia's politics," Vucevic said.

He added that when he saw that someone was attacking Vucic because of Serbia, then he knew that the good politics was being practiced and that Serbia had come back to itself.

"The Serbian Armed Forces will create an environment for Serbia to decide for itself," the RTS guest said.