There are no Serbs from Kosovo in the Brussels dialogue, their voice is not heard and they are not asked about anything, because neither Belgrade nor Pristina sincerely want them in that process, it was said at today’s debate in the Media Center in Cagllavice/Čaglavica on the topic „Voice of Serbs from Kosovo in Brussels dialogue“. It was also said that the Serbs have only been serving in the Brussels process for years as guarantors, that is, as someone who will ultimately pay the price of the decisions that are made.
A member of the Serbian Parliament, Pavle Grbović, said that the Serbs in Kosovo are for Pristina and for the Belgrade side, for years they were an object, not a subject of the negotiation process, and that they is the intended role of guarantor of all agreements, even though they were reached without theirs participation.
„So they were mostly the guarantors of that process, someone who would end up paying the price for the decisions.“ which are brought somewhere far away and that price was generally high and rarely, even when Belgrade made some concessions in favor of Pristina. In return were also received some concessions, but those concessions were not in favor of the Serbs in Kosovo, but in favor of those who are conducted negotiations on their behalf, with legitimacy,“ said Pavle Grbović.
He also states that Serbs from Kosovo neither Belgrade nor Pristina sincerely want to participate in the dialogue process. „Both sides want to have some Serbs, Albin Kurti wants to have some Serbs that he thinks yes will be eligible and which will be some kind of external proof of his openness. On the other hand sides and Belgrade also wants to have Serbs who are part of that ethnic group who will support their politics. But what is clear is that neither side wants to have citizens of Serbian nationality – those citizens who will ask questions, those citizens who are free-thinking politically active people who might disrupt or change the focus of the talks so far“, Grbović said.
Journalist and editor of Kim Radio, Zorica Vorgučić, also thinks that Serbs from Kosovo have neither influence, nor the opportunity to participate, nor to make decisions during the process dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina in question.
„As far as dialogue is concerned, the only influence and all decisions are made by one man, Aleksandar Vučić. Serbs are not asked about it, although occasionally it seems that they are consulted considering that they have some meetings in Belgrade with the president of Serbia. Here is such a meeting today at 1 p.m. Vučić keeps saying that he consults with the Serbs, but that’s not the case and there proves that it is not so.
„Serbs are not asked about anything in Kosovo,“ said journalist of Kim Radio editor Zorica Vorgučić.
The leader of the Serbian National Movement Branimir Stojanović recalls that even few years in the back no delegation from Belgrade had Kosovo Serbs in the dialogue, not even Serbian List, let alone someone who is not part of this political party. He notes, however, that it is not possible for Serbs from Kosovo either be part of the Pristina delegation in the negotiations with Belgrade, especially, as he points out, not in these conditions and the political atmosphere that Kosovo’s leaders currently represent.
„First of all, everything that the Serbs are asking for, Pristina side is fighting against. Agreed or not, they simply are opposing everything, so if there would be some participation in this delegation it would be only symbolic, marketing „, said Stojanović.
The president of the citizens’ initiative „Za Zubin Potok“ Milija Biševac said that except that Serbs have never directly participated in the negotiations, not even, as he said, for all of these were never familiar with the Brussels process in detail. He added yes negotiations have been led from the very beginning by people who do not live in Kosovo at all.
„Serbs did not participate or support everything that was carried out at that time.“ The only implementer is Srpska lista, which used those 10 years for abnormal enrichment, was exclusively guided by personal interests. The people were forced to listen only to what is ordered from Belgrade. Today, the Serbs in the north, so to speak, they still have a problem with license plates, special units are still there, and many other problems, and the only way we can be informed about it is to follow what is happening in Brussels through the media, through television,“ said Milija Biševac and added that many agreements were signed during the Brussels process damages the Serbs, and that anyone who tried to oppose it was labeled and exposed summoned by Belgrade“.
Pavle Grbović also adds that the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, does not talk about the Brussels process he talks to SBIs from Kosovo, but only informs them.
„You consult with someone before you do something, if you do something, you call him then it’s not consultation, it’s reporting. Then maybe invite someone to takes notes of what you did in the specific case,“ Grbović added.
The participants in the debate agree that as a first step in the normalization of relations, it should first change the narrative of the representatives of Belgrade and Pristina.
„We constantly have some incendiary statements from both sides. From Vučić and Petar Petković’s worst possible statements regarding Albin Kurti. On the other hand, Kurti and Vjosa Osmani do not stop calling Serbs genocidal people, Serbia genocidal creation, they don’t let Milosevic out of their mouths, even though he died a long time ago and we are almost forgot about him and we should forget it. Serbs in the north of Kosovo are proclaimed as criminals – well, not all of them are criminals“, said Zorica Vorgučić.
„There is not really a sincere and good will for normalization to happen, everything is still reduced to that random struggle to create an image in public opinion, that someone won and to score political points on it. Unfortunately, the price for that is paid by our ordinary people disappearing from this area is the result of all that“, stated Stojanović.
„Incendiary statements in both Pristina and Belgrade are their political manipulation and buying votes in that way, the awakening of nationalism. When people don’t have the right politics, they always are grasping for nationalism,“ said Biševac.
The president of Serbian list Goran Rakic was also invited to the debate „Voice of Serbs from Kosovo in the Brussels dialogue“ but he did not respond to the invitation. The debate was organized by Media the center of Čaglavica with the support of UNMIK.
