Vucic: Day of Mourning for all those killed in Kosovo, it's a civilizational decision

President of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic emphasized tonight that Serbia had declared a Day of Mourning for the tragic events in northern Kosovo due to the deaths of all people.

"Serbia has declared a Day of Mourning for the tragic events in Kosovo, as it was said because of the deaths of all people. From the perspective of the Constitution of the Republic of Serbia, all are citizens of our country. Serbia has a Day of Mourning because of the three deceased Serbs and the killed policeman. I think that is a civilizational, serious, and responsible decision," Vucic stated on RTS.

In response to criticism from Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama, who said that the Day of Mourning was the worst signal Serbia could send to the region and the Euro-Atlantic community, he stated that the Albanian Prime Minister did not speak the truth.

He reiterated that the Day of Mourning had been declared because of all those killed in Banjska.
Even regarding the Day of Mourning, one can see all the hypocrisy concerning Serbia.
Vucic said that in the case of the Day of Mourning that Serbia had declared, one could also see all the hypocrisy of those who constantly wanted to give Serbia a lecture and reminded of the conflict in Kumanovo in 2015.

"Eight years ago, in 2015, there was a major conflict in Kumanovo. Albanian terrorists attacked the sovereign and internationally recognized, then Macedonia, a United Nations member, which is a very important detail," Vucic said.

He emphasized that eight Macedonian policemen were killed, and neither Rama nor others, he said, had been given lectures about what followed.

Then, he stressed, a commemoration had been held in Pristina for all the terrorists killed in Kumanovo, in a huge hall, with KLA flags, in the presence of then-Kosovo Prime Minister Isa Mustafa, Vucic said, supporting it with photographs from that event.

And then, Beg Rizaj, one of those killed in Kumanovo, got a monument erected in Decani, which was visited, and candles were lit by Ramush Haradinaj, Vucic added.

"So much for principles and a European future and everything else," the President of Serbia noted.
He added that it was "even more disgusting" what had happened in the Serbian public, where, he said, they first said that it was necessary to declare a Day of Mourning, but that "the authorities cannot do that because they have to listen to someone from the outside," only to, when the Government had done it in a civilizational, serious, and responsible way, ask - "whom are we mourning?"

"If you don't mourn anyone, we have someone to mourn," Vucic said.

"For me, these people will never be terrorists"

When asked who the Serbs who participated in the conflict and died in the village of Banjska were, Vucic replied that for him as President, they would never be terrorists.

These were, he said, family people, fathers of three, three, and two children.

He emphasized that Belgrade would ask to see footage of the killings from drones.

As he pointed out, Serbs had been setting up barricades, not traps because, as he emphasized, they were people who, after two years of Kurti's terror and 11 years of Pristina's terror since the signing of the Brussels Agreement, every day - harassment, arrests, shootings, had decided to set up barricades.

"They tell me that I knew something because of what I spoke about in Brussels. I have been saying this since the barricades, I had difficult conversations with, among others, Milan Radoicic and others, and I always had to understand them, but they could not see the bigger picture that I knew about, and that's why I begged them to get off the barricades," Vucic said.

He added that the Albanian policeman who died had not been shot but encountered an explosive wire set up between two vehicles to prevent the removal of the barricades.

"That policeman came across an explosive wire, I'm not saying this to diminish the criminal act, but for the sake of truth. Only then did the shooting occur. I don't know if he died from the explosion or was injured, but he was injured by the explosives set up at the barricades. This explains the nature of the intentions, but that's why you couldn't see or hear anyone say that," Vucic said.

The President noted that Serbia would do its job in accordance with the laws and investigate everything.

"We were astonished that EULEX was rejected and they did not make a public statement that they were going into an operational action. They were held in a command room where they could only observe.

They were told they couldn't go. It's strange that everyone is silent about it, even though they claim it was a coordinated action by the Kosovo Police, KFOR, and EULEX. So, why didn't EULEX go? Because they knew who they were sending and what their intentions were towards the Serbs. By refusing EULEX, they went to eliminate all the Serbs, regardless of whether there were 30, 40, they just increased the number, and now they're reducing the number of their brave deeds," Vucic said.
In that regard, he added that three Serbs had been killed, and three had been arrested, including one who was wounded.

The deceased were Nedeljkovic, 31 years old, Mijailovic (35), and Milenkovic, who was 50 years old, the President added.

The families of the victims will receive the bodies of their loved ones tomorrow unless Pristina creates any problems.

Vucic also stated that the families of the victims would receive the bodies of their loved ones tomorrow unless Pristina created additional problems.

He also noted that there had been problems with requests for EULEX to perform autopsies.

"We asked for one of our experts to go. They made a special problem about Milenkovic because we have information that he was shot from about 12 meters away, by at least two people when he threw his gun and raised his hands. Everything can be checked, but there are no drone recordings of that," Vucic said.

He added that the Serbian media had shown videos of Kosovo's Minister of Interior Xhelal Svecla but had not asked themselves why there were no videos of the killing of the Serbs.
He pointed out that they had also caused problems for the wife of the deceased Milenkovic, under the pretext that the prosecutor was doing it.

"They told Mrs. Milenkovic that, since he doesn't have living parents, she has to bring her children, aged 8 and 12, to Pristina to prove that it is him. She can't come and pick up her husband's dead body, they tormented her so much," Vucic said.

Nedeljkovic's father had been handling this situation with composure, and all the families were waiting to see the bodies, Vucic added, expressing concern about how the family of the deceased Mijaliovic would react, given that he had also seen the images.

He emphasized that it had been confirmed that there were individuals willing to testify about what had happened that day in Banjska.

Not only individuals and the police from Kosovo were involved in the incident.

Vucic especially emphasized that not only individuals and the police from Kosovo had participated in the incident, but also trained Special Forces from the Presevo municipality.

These were, as he said, specially trained people for fighting against the Serbs, and precisely because of their presence, he added, EULEX had not been present.

"Among others, there were individuals from the Presevo municipality who committed multiple criminal acts: some of them have been on our wanted list since 2021. A. Muharem, who has six criminal acts of robbery, prostitution...," Vucic said.

He says that those individuals received apartments in the center of Pristina for their loyalty to Kosovo.

We expect to see how the killing of the policeman happened, as well as the killings of Mijailovic and Milenkovic.

When asked what he expected next, Vucic said he expected Pristina to show how the killing of the policeman and the killings of Mijailovic and Milenkovic happened.

In response to the observation that the handwriting resembles that of foreign services, he said that there was no doubt about that, but he could not go into more detail about it.

"They say that Serbia participated... If we did, they wouldn't be able to launch drones, we would obstruct them... That's all we could do," Vucic said.

He also pointed out that Pristina had said that one of the trucks in Banjska belonged to the Gendarmerie, and the authorities who had dealt with it had found that one had been bought in Croatia, which did not mean that Zagreb was involved, while the other had been bought in Medvedja.

"We are examining all of that in detail and dealing with it in accordance with the law. But there is no lie they haven't told... They raised a fuss when Rada Trajkovic was detained for two hours at the administrative crossing, which I am against, but you didn't wonder why you refused EULEX, people died," Vucic said.

He also mentioned that the statement by Xhelala Svecla that the bodyguard of the Director of the Security Intelligence Agency, Aleksandar Vulin, had been killed was a lie, explaining that this was the man who had provided security for Vulin 10 years ago when he had visited the Gracanica Monastery as the director of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija.

"But, there is evidence that the Security Intelligence Agency is involved... And they are saying that seriously," Vucic said, adding that it would be determined whether the document about weapons shown was a forgery.

"Just let me ask you - who in Belgrade would this suit now? Find me one person," Vucic said.
When asked if Albin Kurti was returning US support in this way, Vucic said that he was doing that and that Pristina was using everything.

He points out that when the Albanians do something like this, they are heroes, national heroes, and the Serbs are savages and terrorists.

He said that Kurti always complained about something during the dialogue.

"Like some baby, he whines and says Vucic is insulting me, I'm not insulting him, I just tell him a word sometimes. We talk in English, and he protests and screams whenever I say something to him in Serbian," Vucic said.

When asked about the motives of the Serbs who did this, whether it was naivety, ignorance, or impatience, Vucic said it might be all of that, maybe even worse, but it was up to the competent authorities to investigate.

"But I know what those people are going through, I have been warning since the barricades after the license plates, I have been warning because I am not blind and stupid not to see what you are doing to the Serbs," the President said.

When asked if our service could have had information that something like this was being prepared, Vucic asked what exactly was being prepared and said that the journalist spoke as if there had been any intention, as if they had planned to kill a policeman.

"I won't defend anyone," he emphasizes and in response to a question about what information he has, he says he has information that the situation is simmering.

"These people are saints for all the people in northern Kosovo and throughout Kosovo, forget about the Serbian Orthodox Church, me, and the state. Kurti did this - he united all Serbs. What do you expect next - columns like in Nagorno-Karabakh? It won't happen, even though they expect it," he emphasized.

He mentions that he is in an impossible position.

"They ask when the army will enter, then you think about seeing the cost, assessing the limit of how much we can endure, trying to solve everything peacefully, trying through dialogue, trying to force someone to form the Community of Serb-majority Municipalities (CSM). When there is a CSM, the police in the north are in the hands of the Serbs. Now they are celebrating the sanctions against Serbia, they were eagerly waiting for them, and when you ask them what Serbia has done, they say they don't know," the President stated.

Responding to the observation that people in Kosovo might be the most frightened in the last 15 years and the question of what his message is to them, Vucic said, "What can I say to them when they have three dead compatriots?"

"And they will tell you 'you didn't intervene,' rightfully so, and if we had intervened, someone else would have asked me why I lost 5,000 people. Whatever I do, someone will ask me. Albanians will be shaken by the fact that they know we are finding out more and more," he added.

Commenting on graffiti throughout Serbia that says "When the army returns to Kosovo," Vucic said that the return of the Serbian Army was in accordance with UN Resolution 1244, and it was limited to 1,000 police and army members.

"They don't even think of allowing that at this moment because it's an attempt to pressure Serbia into recognizing Kosovo's independence. Let me tell you again, so it's not said that I spoke emotionally - it won't happen while I'm the President of the Republic, and they need to know that. I've sworn on the Constitution of Serbia and the Miroslav Gospel," Vucic stated.

KFOR wouldn't mistreat the Serbs if it assumed responsibility

He emphasized that he didn’t want to speak about the stance of other Western Balkan leaders regarding the policy of Albin Kurti, but there was no one who would say that this man, except for those who had stained their hands with blood in the '90s in Kosovo, destroying Serbia, wanted any good.

"What they did today with so-called counter-terrorist measures means that they can enter people's homes and do whatever they want. We will see what KFOR and all the others will say about it. As for the decisions, I'm asking them, the international community, not to press Belgrade further. Don't do it. You know well who is guilty," Vucic said.

He mentioned that various things were written in the media, claiming that Levijatan was responsible, then Pocuca, but it was difficult to admit that the disenfranchised Serbs were there.
He reiterated that it shouldn't be forgotten that the murder of the police officer was a serious criminal offense.

"Everything else is a shame in how they behave toward Serbia and the Serbs," he concluded.
On the question of how realistic the demand to the Quint for KFOR to take control is, Vucic stressed that KFOR wouldn't mistreat Serbs if it assumed responsibility.

"Our people can manage with KFOR. They won't go into people's homes, beat women and children, and hunt people. Why is Dusan Obrenovic, Milenko Bozovic, Lune, all of them, in detention?" Vucic asked.
He explained that Obrenovic was in detention because he had converted from Islam to Orthodoxy, and no one knew the real reason. According to him, there is a video showing Obrenovic not resisting and raising his hands.

He believes that Kurti is provoking the anger of the Serbs and inciting them to rebel, as he has constantly said.

Vucic emphasizes that he doesn't know whether it is realistic for KFOR to take control of Kosovo and that he cannot promise such a thing.

"Whatever decision I make, I will be blamed," he concluded.

He mentioned that for some, he would be blamed and declared a traitor because he abandoned Kosovo, while another part of the public in Serbia would blame him for blocking the country's European path due to Kosovo.