In a sharp exchange highlighting long-standing tensions between Pristina and Belgrade, Kosovo’s acting Minister of Internal Affairs, Xhelal Sveçla, accused Serbia of practicing ethnic discrimination against Albanians in southern Serbia, while portraying Kosovo as a model of multiethnic integration.
Responding forcefully, Petar Petković, Director of Serbia’s Office for Kosovo and Metohija, rejected Sveçla’s claims, insisting that Serbia is “one of the most functional multiethnic states” in Europe and accusing Kosovo’s leadership of advancing “an ideology that led to one of the worst ethnic cleansings in modern history.”
According to Sveçla, 210 new officers from the Serbian community have joined the Kosovo Police through recent special recruitment rounds for non-majority communities. He claims that non-majority communities constitute 10% of the force, with more than half of them being ethnic Serbs.
“In the last three special recruitment drives for non-majority communities, 210 new members were added from the Serbian community alone,” Sveçla stated on Facebook.
In contrast, he highlighted an alleged lack of ethnic Albanian representation in police forces in the Serbian municipalities of Preševo, Bujanovac, and Medveđa.
“Of the 43 new officers recruited in Preševo and Bujanovac, not a single one is Albanian. In Medveđa, none of the 22 police officers are Albanians either,” Sveçla said.
Using this data to draw a broader political conclusion, Sveçla accused Serbia of practicing “ethnic cleansing” against Albanians in these southern regions.
“Kosovo demonstrates a policy of integration; Serbia conducts ethnic cleansing,” he declared, urging international actors to respond to what he described as systematic violations of fundamental rights.
Sveçla’s remarks come amid heightened tensions following a controversial incident last week in North Mitrovica, where a Kosovo police officer was filmed grabbing a Serbian high school student by the neck during a graduation parade. Serbia’s Ministry of Interior has since identified the officer and issued a warrant for his arrest. The officer has been relocated to South Mitrovica.
Following the mass resignation of Serbs from Kosovo institutions in November 2022, including the police force, Kosovo launched a series of recruitment campaigns aimed at replenishing its ranks. In February this year, the Kosovo Police’s North Region added nearly 120 new officers, 79 of whom are ethnic Serbs.
Serbia Responds: Accusations of Hypocrisy
Petar Petković, Director of Serbia’s Office for Kosovo and Metohija, dismissed Sveçla’s claims, calling him “the last person who can lecture Serbia on minority rights.”
“Serbia remains one of Europe’s most functional multiethnic states, as attested by minorities from Subotica to Bosilegrad,” Petković said. He further accused Kosovo’s leadership of promoting “an ideology that led to one of the worst ethnic cleansings in modern history.”
Petković claimed that Kosovo is hostile to diversity, citing the continued displacement of over 200,000 internally displaced Serbs who have not returned since the 1999 conflict. “Kosovo remains poisoned by chauvinism and hatred,” he added, describing Sveçla as a propagator of that sentiment.
“Policy of Reciprocity”
The issue of the status of Albanians in Preševo, Bujanovac, and Medveđa — which Pristina and Albanian leaders in southern Serbia consistently describe as discrimination by Serbia — is directly linked to the status of Serbs in northern Kosovo when raised by Serbs or Belgrade, also within the context of discrimination.
The “policy of reciprocity” is a cornerstone of the outgoing Kosovo government, and a significant part of its implementation specifically concerns the situation of Albanians in the three municipalities of the Republic of Serbia populated by an Albanian majority.
Preuzimanje i objavljivanje tekstova sa portala KoSSev nije dozvoljeno bez navođenja izvora. Hvala na poštovanju etike novinarske profesije.
