The Chairperson of the Committee on Kosovo-Metohija, MA Danijela Nikolic, and Committee members Goran Rakic and Stefan Krkobabic, met today at the National Assembly with the Head of the United Nations Office in Belgrade, Dominika Krois.
The Committee Chairperson informed the guests in detail about the current security and political situation, as well as the extremely difficult position of the Serbian people in Kosovo-Metohija. She spoke of the continuous pressures, institutional discrimination and ethnically motivated incidents, stressing that more than 700 attacks on Serbs have been recorded since Albin Kurti came to power, which further deepens the atmosphere of fear and insecurity.
The guests were particularly interested in the progress of the implementation of the so-called Law on Foreigners, as well as its concrete effects in practice. Nikolic emphasised the importance of the solution that has been reached in the meantime, stressing that it has prevented the administrative persecution of almost 20,000 Serbs, who, with the implementation of this act, would have been directly threatened in terms of their right to work and survival in Kosovo-Metohija.
She also highlighted the numerous additional difficulties that Serbs face on a daily basis, from limited freedom of movement, usurpation of property and unresolved property disputes, to frequent arrests without clear evidence, selective application of the law and politically motivated trials. She particularly highlighted problems in the functioning of local institutions, the closure of Serbian institutions, as well as pressures on public sector employees.
Speaking about the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina, she mentioned the fact that that a whole 13 years after the signing of the Brussels Agreement, guaranteed by the European Union, the Community of Serb Municipalities, which is a key obligation of Pristina, is yet be formed. She opined that the lack of reaction from the international community encourages Pristina's unilateral moves.
The Committee Chairperson also pointed out that the situation was more stable during the period when the United Nations had full jurisdiction on the ground, while the transfer of authority to the so-called Kosovo institutions led to an additional deterioration in the position of Serbs, who today do not have an adequate mechanism to protect their rights.
Danijela Nikolic said that Serbia consistently advocates for respect for international law, UN Security Council Resolution 1244 and the UN Charter, as well as for resolving all outstanding issues exclusively through dialogue and peaceful means. In this context, she called for clearer and stronger support from the international community in order to stop the violence and ensure the fundamental human rights of the Serbian people in Kosovo-Metohija.
The officials agreed that the continuation of cooperation and open communication with the United Nations Office in Belgrade is of utmost importance, and that the presence of representatives of the UN Office at the sessions of the Committee on Kosovo-Metohija is an important mechanism for objective information and monitoring of the situation on the ground.
