The victory of opposition parties in Kosovo's recent elections will unlikely help the republic patch up relations with Belgrade since no improvement to the plight of Serbs in the region is in sight, the president of the right-wing New Serbia party told Sputnik
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 08th October, 2019) The victory of opposition parties in Kosovo's recent elections will unlikely help the republic patch up relations with Belgrade since no improvement to the plight of Serbs in the region is in sight, the president of the right-wing New Serbia party told Sputnik.
The self-proclaimed Republic of Kosovo held parliamentary elections on Sunday. The opposition Albanian nationalist Vetevendosje (Self-Determination) party and the center-right Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) both claimed over 25 percent of the vote, according to preliminary results. President Hashim Thaci's Democratic Party came third with 21 percent. Self-Determination has already claimed that it will focus on "debt that Serbia owes to Kosovo" in future talks with Belgrade.
"I do not expect any progress [in negotiations between Serbia and Kosovo following the election]. The only thing I expect is the worse position of the Serb population in Kosovo. Whoever wins this will not improve the situation in the Balkans or solve the Kosovo issue," Velimir Ilic said.
According to the politician, the Serbs in Kosovo have been "awarded the minority status in their own country," and little could be done to reverse the situation.
"Kosovo should be declared an occupied territory for which the Serbian authorities have no courage. And that is currently the only solution for Serbia to preserve Kosovo," he claimed.
The politician also criticized Belgrade for seeking EU membership "at all costs," even though the bloc did not intend to change its stance on Kosovo.
"Serbia should look at itself, not strive to join the European Union at all costs. The European Union supports the abduction of Serbian territory, and no one who supports [it] could be friend of Serbia," he said.
Kosovo unilaterally proclaimed independence from Serbia on February 17, 2008, after years of conflict with Belgrade. The self-proclaimed republic is recognized by over 100 UN member states. Serbia as well as Russia, China, Israel, Iran, Spain, Greece and a number of other countries have not recognized Kosovar independence.
Belgrade has agreed to an EU-mediated dialogue with Kosovo since Serbia is trying to move ahead with the EU accession process. However, the talks, launched in Brussels in 2013, have since stalled.
Meanwhile, Serbs in Kosovo, who predominantly live in the north, face real hardships, such as arbitrary detentions and consistent destruction of their cultural and religious heritage. Belgrade has also repeatedly warned that the Serbs in Kosovo might face a humanitarian disaster due to Kosovo's hefty trade duties on Serbian duties flowing to the region.
