Milivojevic: Pristina's actions in Kosovo threaten to lead to exodus of Serbs

Photo: Tanjug/Dimitrije Goll

Career diplomat Zoran Milivojevic thinks that the situation that has been ongoing for a long time in Kosovo and Metohija because of the actions of Pristina, and concerns the consequences of radical measures such as the banning of the Serbian dinar, threatens to lead to an exodus of Serbs from Kosovo and Metohija.

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"They condition the practical situation before the exodus. Because what we are looking at, people being unable to live normal lives, to obtain food normally, the inability of institutions to function, those on which basic life depends. I am referring to kindergartens, schools, healthcare, which is the most important," Milivojevic told Tanjug.

He does not see the result of yesterday's meeting in Brussels as a surprise and reminds of the announcements coming from Pristina before the meeting - from the prime minister of provisional institutions, Albin Kurti and the main Pristina negotiator Besnik Bislimi - which made it clear that there will be no progress in the dialogue, because Pristina, Milivojevic continued, is not giving up on maximalist goals.

"And I'm afraid that there will be no progress on the ground either, unless there is some serious intervention by Western power centers, who are the only ones able to stop this matter and prevent the worst possible scenario, which is in sight," said Milivojevic.

According to him, it is obvious that someone needs a smokescreen to maintain the dialogue and create the impression that "some process is ongoing."

He explained that there effectively is no dialogue and that this is obvious also because of yesterday's failed meeting, and a clear message that Pristina will not give up its maximalist goals and the policy it is announcing, also related to the dinar issue.

Milivojevic believes that the current state of dialogue is "in a vacuum," for which Serbia is not to blame, nor does anything depend on it, instead Serbia is committed to the dialogue and will seek a solution at any cost, in order to help its people in Kosovo and Metohija.

He assessed that Serbia will use all political and other mechanisms to make sure that the Serb people in Kosovo and Metohija are in some way provided with basic conditions for life and added that it is extremely important that the international community takes a stand on this.

"The question is whether there is political will, whether they can, and want to do it. I would say that they can, but they won't. I am under the impression that there is no political will to decisively influence the Pristina side. There are mechanisms, there are ways and it is possible to exert influence in this particular case, to prevent this matter. They can do that now, for the simple reason that the use of the euro as the currency of the European Union is illegal in the territory of Kosovo and Metohija," said Milivojevic.

He pointed out that the current situation deepens the escalation and assessed that a productive solution is to return to the dialogue - to again start talking about the establishment of the Community of Serb Municipalities (ZSO).

Milivojevic also said that the situation would be different if the Serbs had the ZSO, but he believes that the ZSO does not fit in Pristina's strategic goals and that Kurti would not be able to behave like this if he did not have some sort of backing for it.

(Telegraf.rs/Tanjug)