This morning, a new branch of Kosovo Post was officially opened in North Mitrovica, an event marked by vocal protests from activists of Srpska Demokratija and some local citizens. The protesters, equipped with whistles, expressed their discontent as they accompanied the opening ceremony, attended by Kosovo’s Minister of Economy, Artane Rizvanolli, and Minister of Administration and Local Government, Elbert Krasniqi.
Once again, Serbian-language local media were not notified about the event in advance. Moreover, the ministers initially refrained from addressing the media in Serbian, except for a brief response from Minister Krasniqi after persistent questioning by journalists.
Minister Rizvanolli emphasized the importance of ensuring that all citizens have access to quality services under equal conditions. She confirmed that there are currently nine Kosovo Post branches in the four northern municipalities, including service counters within municipal buildings. According to Albanian-language media, Rizvanolli stated that the Kosovo government is continuing to implement decisions aimed at improving the lives of citizens through various activities.
When asked by reporters whether there were any Serbian employees at the newly opened post office, Minister Krasniqi deflected, stating that the question was beyond his remit.
The event saw a significant police presence, including officers from the Kosovo Police and some representatives from EULEX. Activists from Srpska Demokratija, along with civil society members, followed the Pristina delegation to the Ibar Bridge, some holding photoshopped images of Albin Kurti, the Prime Minister of Kosovo, depicting him holding the Kosovo Constitution and cutting it with a knife.
Among the protesters was Milica Andrić-Rakić, who was physically pushed by a plainclothes officer while trying to approach the ministers, despite being visibly pregnant.
Andrić-Rakić said she attended the protest as a citizen, primarily in response to what she described as the problematic decisions and statements of the Kosovo government against the Serbian community.
Although the opening of the post office in Northern Mitrovica was not officially announced, Andrić-Rakić stated that there had been rumors among the citizens that it would happen today.
Andrić-Rakić: A Symbol of Kosovo’s Current Policies
„For me, this is not a protest against the opening of the post office, although I do believe it is quite pointless. There is a Kosovo Post branch less than 400 meters from here, and this specific branch will not compensate for the services that citizens need from the Serbian post office, such as pension and social benefit payments,“ Andrić-Rakić noted.
She pointed out that these services cannot be carried out at the Kosovo Post and that there is no agreement between Belgrade and Pristina on this matter.
„Of course, even if you wanted to, you cannot send a letter from this post office to Belgrade or anywhere in Serbia because there is no communication agreement between the postal services.“
„I primarily came to express my protest. They came in the midst of an election campaign, and since they signal that this is a political act, I believe it is entirely appropriate for citizens to show their dissatisfaction with such behavior,“ she added.
She explained that one of the political parties devised the idea of protesting with whistles, considering it a very effective and peaceful way of expressing protest, which is why she decided to join.
Veljković: Kosovo as the Last Ghetto in Europe
Stefan Veljković, a representative of Srpska Demokratija, stated, „Today, the people in Northern Kosovo are rebelling against the anti-Serb policies of Mr. Albin Kurti and his government, which has been imposing sanctions on its own citizens—Kosovo Serbs and other non-Albanian compatriots—for several years now.“
Veljković cited the ban on the import of Serbian goods, the denial of language rights, and other cultural and human rights for Serbs in Kosovo as examples of these „sanctions.“
„Kosovo is the last ghetto in Europe, and we have hesitated for a long time to call it by its proper name, but it seems that this increasingly resembles apartheid,“ Veljković said.
This, he claimed, was the reason for today’s protest, asserting that it was the protests that caused the Kosovo ministers to spend only a brief time in the North. He called on Serbs in other parts of Kosovo to similarly engage in „passive resistance“ and protest the current policies from Pristina in a peaceful manner.
„When there is no peace for the people, there should be no peace for the government either,“ Veljković concluded in his statement to the press following the opening of the Kosovo Post branch.
Less than a month after the closure of the Serbian Post office in the North, the yellow sign of the Kosovo Post branch was unveiled on the main promenade in North Mitrovica. Previously, in June, a Kosovo Post office was opened in the village of Banjska, in the Zvečan municipality, within the health-tourism complex „Rajska Banja,“ just over seven months after the Kosovo Privatization Agency took control of the facility.
Earlier this month, all nine facilities used by the Serbian Post in Northern Kosovo were closed. Three post offices in Kosovska Mitrovica, two in Zvečan, one in Zubin Potok, and three in the municipality of Leposavić were sealed off.
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