Brnabic: State Will Always Stand by People in Kosovo and Metohija

Ana Brnabic, Kosovo Visit (BETAPHOTO/VLADA SRBIJE/SLOBODAN MILJEVIC)

Serbian premier designate Ana Brnabic said on Sept. 5 that Belgrade was doing everything in its power for the people in Kosovo and Metohija to feel the presence of the state and know that the state will always stand by them.

Giving a TV statement at the Banjska Monastery, near Zvecan, Brnabic said that, while Serbia had faced hard and challenging times when it came to Kosovo for decades, 2022 was "still especially hard."

"First because (Kosovo Premier) Albin Kurti began the year by taking away the right to vote from Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija despite protests from international institutions, and then it happened again at the elections in April. To take away a people's right to vote in the 21st century is incomprehensible and astonishing. The culmination happened on July 31 when it was only through the great forbearance, tolerance and courage of (Serbian President) Aleksandar Vucic that we managed to keep the peace and found a way to communicate with NATO and KFOR," she said.

Commenting on a letter from German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron to the president of Serbia and premier of Kosovo, she said that Serbia "never shied away from hard decisions" and made them when in the interest of its citizens.

Brnabic told reporters in Kosovska Mitrovica that the establishment of the Community of Serb Municipalities was foundational in the Brussels Agreement and that Belgrade must call, first of all, on European Union members and EU institutions to insist on the full implementation of that document, as they are its guarantors.

She stated that "Serbia is ready for a compromise," but if it is in the interest of peace, stability and ensuring a better life for the people.