Terrorist attacks in Kosovo, Sekulović for The Geopost: Serbia aims to destabilize the country

The reaction of the Serbian authorities and their political rhetoric regarding the incidents in Kosovo is so banal that almost every word can be predicted in advance, says Aleksandar Sekulović, an associate of the Helsinki Committee for Human Rights and vice president of the Alliance of Anti-Fascists of Serbia, in an interview with The Geopost.

He adds that these incidents are attempts to destabilize Kosovo.

The vital interest of that perverted and unreasonable policy of Serbia, he says, is to show that Kosovo is politically and culturally “minor”, ​​incapable of independent life, which means that it must return under the auspices of Serbia.

Sekulović emphasizes that, if we take into account the general picture of Serbian clerical-nationalism in the region, not only in Kosovo, “as well as the expectation of the Serbian authorities that the Trump administration will support this “muscle” policy, then I think that the period ahead will bring a further escalation of tensions and conflicts.”

Full interview:

The Geopost: When we talk about the terrorist attack in Banjska last year and the latest attack on the Ibaër-Lepenc canal, how do you evaluate the political rhetoric and reactions of the Serbian authorities?

Sekulović: The reaction of the Serbian authorities and their political rhetoric regarding the incidents in Kosovo is so banal that almost every word can be predicted in advance.

According to them, the Serbian side has nothing to do with those events and Prime Minister Kurti is to blame for everything.

They ostensibly dissociate themselves from those events, and essentially perceive them as their own, which is best seen by the fact that in Serbia national mourning was declared due to the death of some in Banjska, as well as by the fact that those who died in the government media are celebrated as “Serbian heroes”.

The Geopost: Considering that the political elite of Serbia often accused the Kosovo authorities of not being able to guarantee stability and security, how would you assess the claim that these incidents could be an attempt to destabilize the Republic of Kosovo?

Sekulović: Those incidents are an attempt to destabilize Kosovo. In a conversation with his youth organization in the Sava Center, Vučić said “we will not give Kosovo”, which sounded like taking an oath.

The vital interest of that perverse and unreasonable policy is to show that Kosovo is politically and culturally “minor”, incapable of independent life, that its authorities cannot guarantee peace and stability, which means that it must return under the auspices of Serbia.

The Geopost: Do you think that the authorities in Serbia directly or indirectly support these actions and how do you see the role of the Serbian political and military structures in Kosovo in creating an atmosphere conducive to these incidents? Do you think there could be further escalation in the future?

Sekulović: Even when the Serbian authorities and their branches in Kosovo are not directly engaged in these actions, they, with their schizophrenic and lying description of the situation in Kosovo, create a livelier atmosphere in Serbia from which incidents, riots and conflicts legitimately arise.

It is obvious, therefore, that the situation is being deliberately aggravated because this is the strategic determination of the entrepreneurs of the “Serbian world”, that is, Serbian clero-nationalism. This can be seen in the entire region, not only in Kosovo. From the Serbian entity in Bosnia and Herzegovina, they announce the complete paralysis of the institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina, as a prelude to secession; in Montenegro, Serbian clero-nationalism runs wild, arrests and keeps innocent people in prisons for years, and now announces an even more intense performance with the song “Get ready, get ready Chetniks…”. Even President Milatović strongly spoke out against the anti-European and anti-constitutional actions of the ruling majority. Croatia is also on the news because, allegedly, its main goal is the overthrow of Serbia and Vučić, as claimed by the clever Ana Brnabić.

If, therefore, one takes into account the general appearance of Serbian clero-nationalism, as well as the expectation of the Serbian authorities that the Trump administration will support this “muscle” policy, then I think that the period ahead will bring further escalation of tensions and conflicts.

The Geopost: Massive student protests are underway in Serbia. How do you evaluate them and do you see any Serbian opposition leader who would free Serbia from the authoritarian regime of Vučić?

Sekulović: I think that these protests are a consequence of the lack of social dialogue and the oversaturation of society, not only students, with the pharaonic figure of Aleksandar Vučić and his arrogant lessons on television.

From that point of view, the protests would have to be directed at the very character of the government, at its arrogance and arbitrariness, at its iron conviction that it can do whatever it sets its mind to.

Another line of action should be criticism of Serbia’s policy towards its neighbors, criticism of the “state of siege” mentality and the artificial creation of fear of the people we live with.

It is simply about a clear distancing from Serbian clero-nationalism.

I believe that such an approach would produce personalities who can successfully hold leading positions in the state.

/The Geopost