Blažo Dragović, head of the Kosovo-Metohija Education Administration, said today that he conveyed to EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas, the challenges Serbian schools in Kosovo are facing. He expressed hope that education in Serb-majority areas will remain under the Serbian system.
“We presented a number of issues that are happening here, from ethnically motivated attacks to the ban on transporting textbooks and material resources to our schools,” Dragović told reporters after the meeting.
“She thanked us for providing firsthand information, asked many follow-up questions.”
Dragović emphasized the need for international actors to help safeguard the Serbian community and its children, expressing hope that the local education system remains independent from Kosovo’s institutions.
Kallas made an unannounced visit to North Mitrovica earlier this morning, first stopping at the Basic Court and then at the EU House, where she held talks with school representatives.
“It is important to be here – in the north of Kosovo – because we see a lot of different narratives – and to really witness what is happening on the ground and what are the people telling,” she said after the meeting.
She noted that the Basic Court is functioning but still awaiting the return of Serbian judges. Emphasizing the value of direct engagement, she said it was crucial to understand the situation firsthand – “and talk to the people, and see with my own eyes what is happening.”
“I talked to KFOR, EULEX, about what they see on the ground. I think this is extremely important information for me to understand because we see: one side is telling one thing, the other side is telling something else,” Kallas noted.
“But I think that the international forces that are here are giving a very adequate picture. But it is also important to talk to the people on the ground, then we can see what more can we do so that the future would be prosperous and safe and secure for everybody in Kosovo.”
Her visit comes just a week after the European Union urged Kosovo authorities to halt the shutdown of Serbian institutions and exercise restraint, amid ongoing pressure on Serbian bodies in the north.
Kallas, who arrived in Kosovo yesterday, had earlier met with top Kosovo officials in Pristina. From there, she had announced that the EU is beginning to phase out sanctions against Kosovo, initially imposed in response to tensions and escalation of the situation in the north.
She continues her Western Balkans tour today with a visit to Skopje.
Kaja Kallas Visits North Mitrovica: The Basic Court is Waiting for Serbian Judges to Return
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