New York Times: Vuciq is stirring fear in Kosovo for political gain

The US daily newspaper, New York Times, has written about Serbian President Aleksandar Vuciq's visit to Kosovo, which they described as a challenge for him, as he does not recognise the country's sovereignty even though its neighbour.

“A visit by Vuciki to Kosovo, which was immediately arranged, came as a consequence of the assassination of Serbian politician Oliver Ivanovic, where Vuciqi pledged he would protect the ethnic Serbs living in Kosovo, a country still luring from the Balkan wars of the 1990s, where he also called for calm”, writes NYT, broadcast Koha.net.

Vuciq, among other things, urged Serbs in Kosovo not to give up on Kosovo -- a predominantly Albanian residential territory -- “that once dominated them and for which they even fought” -- writes further, citing Vucinqiqi as saying it would not allow the number of Serbs to shrink in Kosovo.

Although it also becomes clear in the article that Vuciqi also requires immediate investigation into the dawning of Ivanovic's murder.

NYT writes that Vuciqi is a descendant of former Serbian dictator Slobodan Milosevic, who rose to power thanks to the support of Kosovo Serbs in the late 80s.

“As Serbia's leader, once as prime minister and then president, Vuciqi is taking Milosevic's steps, presenting himself as a central figure in the lives of Serbs living in Kosovo”, writes NYT.

Unlike Milosevic, who challenged and fought the Westerners, Vucinqi describes himself as pro-Western.

The media in Serbia, routinely write against Albanians and Serbs who support any kind of compromise with Kosovo, even using insulting language, writes NYT.

“Kosovo and Serbs in Kosovo have always been the centre of a nationalist and populist regime in Serbia”, said Dragan Popovic, political analyst who heads the Policy Institute.

According to him, if Vuciqi wants to remain in power, he must keep Serbs in a constant state of fear, especially those in Kosovo.

This was also the reason he went to Kosovo immediately after Ivanovic's death, which he also accused was a traitor”, he writes.

NYT writes that Vuciqi has said talks with Kosovo officials on normalising relations will not resume in Brussels until Ivanovic's murder is dawned.

On the other hand, the situation even complicates recent issues. In a statement issued hours after Vuciqi's agenda announced, US Ambassador Greg Delawi said that “no one should benefit from this crime only for political purposes”.

On the other hand, critics of Serbian President Vuciq accuse him of inciting fears, as they are politically helpful, but that he is trying to keep him in check.

Among other things, it writes that when Vuciq met with Serbs in Kosovo, crowds shouting “President help us all. We are only targets because we are Serbs. Please help us, can you guarantee security on our land”, the NYT quoted Serbs in Kosovo as saying.

While Vuciq called on authorities in Pristina to investigate Ivanovic's murder, he said the government in Belgrade is looking for ways to strengthen the protection of Kosovo Serbs.