Prime Minister Ana Brnabić tells RTS that the Serbs in the north of Kosovo and Metohija are at the barricades because they are demanding basic human rights and nothing more. She points out that she is afraid of escalation, but that they will do everything to preserve peace and some kind of stability. She also says that she is deeply disappointed by the reaction of the international community.

Ana Brnabić says that Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija can only hear Brussels and Washington when they are at the barricades, but even then not very well.

“Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija are at the barricades because they are demanding basic human rights, but really basic human rights and nothing more,” Brnabić told RTS.

She points out that they also left the institutions only because they demanded, after more than ten years, compliance with the Brussels Agreement.

“After all, they are in those institutions thanks to that Brussels agreement, so when Aljbin Kurti says that there is no Brussels agreement for him, then I don’t know exactly what the problem is that Serbs are not in the institutions,” added the prime minister.

When it comes to the international community, the Prime Minister points out that she is deeply disappointed with their understanding of human rights, basic democratic values, as well as with the response to a series of provocations by Aljbin Kurti towards Serbs and other non-Albanians in Kosovo.

“If you just look at how December was – it started with Kurti appointing Nenad Rašić to be the representative of the Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija in Pristina institutions, a man who received 0.17 percent of the votes in the elections. We did not have an adequate reaction from Brussels, we had a reaction that called on both sides to de-escalate. “I’m not exactly sure what Belgrade did at that moment, as well as the Serbs in Kosovo,” Brnabić said.

She pointed out that only after the harsh reaction of President Aleksandar Vučić was a somewhat clearer condemnation of it followed.

“This is how December began and December is coming to an end, who knows how, but for now with more than 16 brutal provocations, violations of the Brussels Agreement, incursions to the teeth by armed members of the Kosovo Police, special forces in the north of Kosovo – which means a brutal violation of the Brussels Agreement” , she says.

She points out that the Serbs with Kosovo and Metohija only demanded that basic human rights be respected and that Dejan Pantić, who was detained illegally, should at least know where he is and whether he has received medication, as well as that he still hasn’t heard from his family.

“You have European institutions that are watching all this silently, they are just watching silently,” emphasizes the Prime Minister.

KFOR blocked the Jarinje point with barbed wire, increased combat readiness was observed, armed Kosovo special forces have been marching for days in the north of Kosovo.

“I am afraid of escalation, we will do everything to preserve peace and some kind of stability, although unfortunately I do not see that there is any stability for the Serbs in Kosovo,” she added.

She reminded that only in December, four Serbs were detained – Gavrilo Milosavljević, a pensioner, a displaced person from Kosovo and Metohija who lives in the vicinity of Belgrade.

“The man went alone to the police in the municipality of East to report the illegal confiscation of his property, and he was arrested and detained there,” she adds.

In addition to him, Miljan Adžić, Dejan Pantić and Slađan Trajković were also detained.

“Of that, Dejan Pantić and Slađan Trajković were members of the Kosovo police, if they had anything against them, they would not be members or they could have been prosecuted at that moment for something they committed or allegedly committed.” They were taken into custody only to intimidate the Serbs and to further instill nervousness among the Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija, to escalate the situation, and that is what scares me,” Brnabić points out.

She points out that Belgrade will continue to hold talks with the international community, primarily with Brussels, and that such talks are held every day.

“President Vučić is in daily contact with the Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija, they are in a terrible situation and I can completely understand that they have had enough of everything and that they no longer have any confidence in the representatives of the international community. Those people just want to implement the Brussels Agreement. “Is it really so much to ask the European Union, which signed that agreement and guaranteed its implementation, to force Pristina to implement it after ten years,” asked the prime minister.

“I do not think so. I think that the Serbs at the barricades are there to defend and protect and remind Brussels of the Brussels Agreement,” she adds.

When asked if she believes there will be more pressure from the international community on Aljbin Kurti, Brnabić says she expects it.

“We expect the international community, primarily from Brussels, but also from Washington, to put pressure on Pristina to implement the Brussels Agreement as soon as possible, which means the establishment of the Community of Serbian Municipalities. We received all the assurances from the representative of the USA Escobar that they will do it in the shortest possible time,” emphasizes the Prime Minister.

In addition, as she says, we heard from Brussels on several occasions during December that before any new agreements, the already signed ones must be implemented.

Source: serbia.postsen.com