Our idea is the reintegration of Kosovo into the constitutional and legal order of the Republic of Serbia – reads the joint message of representatives of the opposition parties in the Serbian parliament. The message is part of the Declaration signed at the conference in Belgrade yesterday by representatives of Dveri, Zavetnici, Novi DSS, POKS, and the People’s Party, with which, as they say, they „stood together in defense of Kosovo“.
„The story of the Cosic-Vucic demarcation idea is over for good“; „Serbia without Kosovo is no longer Serbia and Serbs without Kosovo are no longer Serbs“; „No renunciation, no land swap, no recognition“; „We are now undoubtedly going downhill when it comes to Kosovo“ – read some of the key messages from the event.
A conference was held in the Media Center in Belgrade yesterday, attended by the presidents of the Dveri Movement, Bosko Obradovic, Novi DSS, Milos Jovanovic, the People’s Party, Vuk Jeremic, Milos Kovic in front of POKS, Miroslav Vasic in front of Zavetnici, as well as other public figures, intellectuals, and academic Matija Beckovic. Beckovic read the text of the declaration:
Faced with pressure from Western powers to „resolve the Kosovo issue urgently“, we are aware of the gravity of the moment laid out before Serbia and the Serbian people. In this critical moment, starting from the need to overcome the detours of the past, we are adopting the Declaration on the future of Kosovo and Metohija in a free Serbia, as the only legitimate and just solution.
Proposals on the partition and land swap, renunciation of Kosovo and Metohija, handing over part or all of the territory, membership of „Kosovo“ in the United Nations, and other proposals that in any way threaten the integrity of the province within the Republic of Serbia are unacceptable. No one has the right or legitimacy to sign any internationally binding documents contrary to the Constitution of Serbia.
Starting from Resolution 1244 and the Constitution of the Republic of Serbia, faithful to the Kosovo Covenant, we point out that the only acceptable solution for the state of Serbia, the Serb people and all our citizens, is the full reintegration of the territory of Kosovo and Metohija with the holy sites, the citizens who live there and the natural resources into the constitutional and legal order of the Republic of Serbia.
We are ready to start a dialogue with the representatives of Kosovo Albanians on building the order of the rule of law for all ethnic communities and all citizens and the ways in which the constitutional-legal reintegration will be carried out for the common future.
Beckovic also said that by recognizing Kosovo, Serbia would „become an exception and a mockery among nations and states.“
Yesterday’s conference took place after the declaration to „gather in defense of Kosovo and Metohija“ which was supported by more than 50 intellectuals. The same declaration was supported by four parliamentary parties whose representatives attended the conference.
Obradovic: The story of the Cosic-Vucic idea of demarcation is over for good
The president of the Dveri movement, Bosko Obradovic, said that the four opposition parliamentary parties will object to any attempt to recognize Kosovo and renounce part of Serbia.
„For all of us here, the story of any Cosic-Vucic idea of demarcation, the partition of Kosovo, land swap, recognition, the model of two Germanys, Kosovo’s membership in the UN or any international institution is unacceptable and over for good. Therefore, anything that is not in line with the Constitution of Serbia, Resolution 1244, our identity, tradition is unacceptable for us, and we will oppose it,“ Obradovic said.
He also emphasized their vision – full reintegration and return of Kosovo and Metohija to the constitutional and legal order of Serbia.
Jovanovic: Serbia without Kosovo is no longer Serbia and Serbs without Kosovo are no longer Serbs
The president of the Novi DSS party and representative of the NADA coalition, Milos Jovanovic, said that when it comes to politics on Kosovo, a radical change is needed.
„As a state, we have been acting for years as per the policy of concessions and creeping recognition of the secession of our southern province, which irreversibly destroys the most vital state and national interests. The ultimate outcome of such policy is to give complete legitimacy to the secessionist authorities and for Kosovo to come to life as an independent territory,“ Jovanovic indicated.
This must change, he added, emphasizing that the main goal of Serbia’s politics should be the full reintegration of Kosovo into the constitutional and legal order of Serbia.
While such a thing is possible, it will take a long and “arduous” time, Jovanovic stated, noting that the question remains whether „we are capable as a generation to carry out such a thing“.
„If we don’t do that, the story will not end only with Kosovo, another series of issues will open up and if we fall back, this country will turn into a pashalic of Belgrade, populated by non-Serbs. Physically, we will survive as a people, but as a nation, we certainly won’t,“ warned Jovanovic.
We have no choice but to fight for Kosovo. We are destined to fight that fight, that fight we are destined to win if we want to survive as a nation
He underlined that the NADA coalition will fight in and outside parliament and that it will not give up on its stances.
„Serbia without Kosovo is no longer Serbia and Serbs without Kosovo are no longer Serbs. Anyone who does not understand this has a big problem, and if someone like that is in charge, then we all have a problem together as a nation, and problems must be solved,“ Jovanovic concluded.
Vuk Jeremic: We should not recognize Kosovo even if the whole world recognizes it
Vuk Jeremic, on behalf of the People’s Party, stated that it is up to this generation to fulfill its part of the „current contemporary Kosovo covenant“:
„We should not do anything that could be understood or, God forbid, internationally-legally irreversibly inferred or introduced as a renunciation of this part of our territory, history, and soul.“
Jeremic assesses that it is not enough that the majority declares that „we will not recognize Kosovo“.
„We should not recognize Kosovo even if the whole world recognizes it. But I think that an important marker of our time is Kosovo’s possible accession to the UN,“ said this politician, indicating that „that danger should be acknowledged.“
He stressed that it is obvious there is an initiative regarding the accession of Kosovo to the UN. Jeremic once again reminded of his party’s position – that letters should be sent to the permanent members of the UN – China and Russia, asking them to use their right of veto in the Security Council if Pristina’s membership comes up on the agenda.
Moreover, he revealed that his sources indicate that those letters have not been sent yet, although Vucic purportedly agree to it.
Jeremic called on those who attended the conference to put public pressure on Vucic to „fulfill his promise“.
This official also reminded of the recent UN session, but also of Vucic’s speech in which he fail to underline that Kosovo’s membership in the UN is unacceptable for Serbia.
„At this point, it is of great importance to put a stop to the possible membership of Kosovo in the UN. Under the current circumstances, this can only be done with the support of the two permanent members of the Security Council that have not recognized it (China and Russia).“
Jeremic also called for the full reintegration of Kosovo and Metohija into the constitutional and legal order of Serbia. He, however, warned that there are many steps ahead of that path.
„Solely focusing and insisting on that final step can disrupt our capacity to achieve these steps that are necessary in the meantime, if we really want it to be fulfilled,“ said Jeremic.
He clarified that moderation in approaching this problem does not by itself exclude determination.
Speaking about the fact that reactions are important in diplomacy, Jeremic mentioned the example of Kosovo’s membership in the Olympic Committee in 2014, when this body asked Serbia to declare itself, and official Belgrade, as he said, remained silent for a year.
Kosovo was then accepted into the Olympic Committee, and in the years that followed, into several other international sports organizations.
Vasic: We cannot turn our heads from what is a constitutional category
Miroslav Vasic, who attended the conference on behalf of the „Zavetnici“ movement, said that the international community would either like for Serbia to recognize Kosovo, which would become a member of the UN, or for Serbia to „play dumb and keep quiet and watch it happen.“
He indicated that the international community will have a real problem if Kosovo becomes a member of the UN without Serbia’s consent.
„They will find themselves in a situation where there will be dozens of cases of secession and demands to recognize certain territories throughout Europe and the world. They certainly don’t want that,“ he said.
On the other hand, he underlined that Serbia cannot consent to this.
„We have our own Constitution. We cannot turn our heads from what is a constitutional category, our history,“ said Vasic.
At the same time, this MP claims that „the Pristina authorities are involved in this game.“
„They are no longer looking for explicit recognition, but are guided by the definition given by the Pristina platform. Through the resolution on the normalization of relations, they are trying to drag Serbia through the back door into a situation where it would silently, through the normalization of other technical matters, come to the point of not reacting to Kosovo being accepted into the UN,“ he said.
Djurkovic: No renunciation, no land swap
Misa Djurkovic, director of the Institute of European Studies, said intense pressure is being placed on Serbia to „finish the job“ regarding Kosovo.
He says that the discourse on two Germanys has been relaunched and that in certain circles in Belgrade, „they respond to that with the unfortunate idea of demarcation, which implies a land swap.“
According to Djurkovic, a „dangerous precedent“ is being set for solving problems in Serbia by applying pressure to trample on the Constitution and laws of Serbia. Furthermore, he expressed fear that attempts will be made to solve the Kosovo issue in the same way, which must be put to an end.
Djurkovic also specified that the declaration adopted yesterday accurately defines the solution to the Kosovo issue.
„For us, it is the only solution. Therefore, no renunciation, no land swap, for us, our covenant, our institutions and our Constitution have defined the task of Serbia and all Serbian entities in the future“.
He also called on the citizens to contribute to achieving this goal.
„I invite various subjects, from the public, politics, and political parties, to join us in this endeavor and to continue fighting for the reintegration of Kosovo and Metohija into the constitutional and legal order of Serbia,“ said Misa Djurkovic.
Kovic: No one mentions the south anymore, even though the majority of the population and the main shrines are there
Milos Kovic, in front of the Movement for the Defense of Kosovo and Metohija, reminded that Europride was held in September in Belgrade at the insistence of the US ambassador to Serbia, even though the Serbian president and authorities previously decided that it would not take place.
„If we have lost sovereignty over the center of the capital, what can we say about Kosovo and Metohija, what should we expect,“ said Kovic.
He assessed that the north of Kosovo was „de facto occupied“ by the Kosovo Police.
„Four bases were built, the one in Zubin Potok was built on Serb land without any legal basis. Along with those crises caused by issues of IDs and license plates, the authorities in Belgrade defended only the north of Kosovo. No one mentions the south anymore, where most of our population is, where our main shrines are located. IDs and license plates were imposed on the south much earlier. And no one lifted a finger, those people were tricked,“ said Kovic.
He noted that Serb-owned property is being sold now „faster than ever“.
Kosovo belongs to the one who has the deed
„People have been exposed to foreign occupation for 22 years and now they are selling their land. Orahovac, that Serbian ring around Pristina, is disappearing before our eyes,“ he said.
He added that young Serbs are leaving Kosovo in large numbers – „because they see the hopelessness and corruption that comes primarily Srpska Lista“.
„You have people in Kosovo and Metohija who receive several wages each, and their families have moved to Serbia proper. People leave because they are angry. You have the poorest families who don’t sell their property and the richest who don’t sell, but the middle class is selling in large numbers,“ said Kovic.
He says that Serbia can easily stop this as the current government holds „a large control“ over Kosovo Serbs. But they are not doing that – he adds.
„Why don’t they do that? Is silence a sign of approval? Is it about the desire for the Serbian people to move to Serbia proper? I think so,“ said Kovic.
According to him, the demarcation idea is being floated about again.
„Do the circles around Aleksandar Vucic really believe that they will be given a demarcation, bearing in mind the latest course of events – the establishment of bases in the north? How can the north be demarcated from the south when the Brussels Agreement was signed, which handed over our judiciary, police and civil defense to Kosovo,“ said Kovic.
He specified that the key problem is not in Pristina and Washington – but in Belgrade.
„We no longer have trust. This is the first president of the Republic who openly offers foreigners our territory for trade. We didn’t have that until now. This cannot be compared with any government, except for the occupation during the world wars,“ said Kovic, noting that the key problem of the current government is that it does not send clear messages.
„You can’t hide your stance on Kosovo. Our message must be clear – if we disregard the Kosovo covenant, basic morality, basic humanity, then what remains is mere geopolitics that says, if we give up Kosovo, we all know what’s next,“ Kovic said.
At the same time, he sent a message to the opposition MPs in the Serbian parliament – to put the national interest above the party and personal interests.
Andjelkovic: We are now undoubtedly going downhill when it comes to Kosovo
Publicist Dragomir Andjelkovic said that there is pressure from the West to introduce sanctions against Russia, but that it is not as great as it is presented.
According to him, the goal is actually the full occupation of Serbia, which will be followed by sanctions and entry into NATO.
He noted that the Serbian government also participates in that game and that new concessions regarding Kosovo are expected from it.
As a concession, he defined the oral agreement concluded at the end of August, based on which Serbia stopped issuing entry-exit documents for citizens with Kosovo IDs.
We allowed Albanians from Kosovo to travel to other parts of Serbia with their fake documents, and we got nothing in return
„We traded nothing for something again. We gave them what they wanted. We have taken a big step towards the abyss, this is presented in our media as a great success, but it is not. This is the implementation of Ahtisaari plan,“ Andjelkovic said.
„We have a series of marketing games – talk about sanctions, talk about the defense of the North of Kosovo, while Kosovo is actually being given away as a whole and we reached the point where we have nowhere to go. We have lost everything on the field, all that remains is for us to lose in the international arena as well, and that is the story of two Germanys and Schinger’s old plan, which implies that we treat Kosovo as a country, we don’t have to recognize it, but it will be on the agenda at some point,“ he said.
Therein lies the importance of the launched initiative, he says, because „nationally oriented parliamentary parties“ gathered thus providing “a good foundation not to allow secret renunciation of Kosovo and Metohija.”
„Everything we do must be manifested through protests and an open fight to encourage the government and society to fight more actively for Kosovo. We are undoubtedly going downhill when it comes to Kosovo. It is high time to do something and mobilize the people,“ Andjelkovic concluded.
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