Kosovars more optimistic than Serbs for peace among them

Many Serbs and a considerable percentage of Kosovars are not quite clear what their respective states' objective is in the European Union-brokered dialogue, shows a research conducted in Kosovo and Serbia, by the Centres for Security Studies.

According to polls, 31 per cent of Kosovars and over 50 per cent of Serbs surveyed have stated they do not know what the goals in dialogue are, which is being mediated by EU special representative Miroslav Lajcak.

Research results were released at a virtual conference organised by John Hopkins University Institute for Foreign Policy, headquartered in Baltimore, federal state Maryland in the United States.

This is a mirror of how people see the dialogue, as in this form it was presented to them by their governments, which most are closed in this process”, praised in its analysis, Nikola Burazer, programme director at the Centre for Contemporary Policy, headquartered in Belgrade.

According to published data, over 48 per cent of Serbs see Kosovo's return to Serbia's sovereignty as the only solution, offering it broad autonomy, while over 76 per cent of Kosovars expect the final solution to be mutual recognition.

In both countries, citizens support continuing dialogue, but most of them consider it nontransparent.

Also, the overwhelming majority of respondents have expressed opposition to the idea of territorial exchange. In Kosovo only 6 percent support this idea, while only 4.2 percent in Serbia.

Meanwhile, 9 percent of Kosovars support it Establishing Association of Serb Majority Municipals.

Over 72 per cent of respondents in Serbia do not believe the peace agreement between Albanians and Serbs will be reached. Meanwhile, 49 percent of respondents in Kosovo believe this is possible.

Edward Joseph of John Hopkins University praised the disturbing fact that 20 years after the war ended, Kosovars and Serbs still have this degree of distrust between them.

If we see that such a high percentage of people are fundamentally against the possibility of their children being educated by teachers of Serbian or Albanian nationality, it is very disturbing”, Joseph said.

“We need to take as a positive example what Northern Macedonia and Greece”, he added.

Joseph referred to research data, where over 80 percent of respondents in Kosovo and Serbia oppose the possibility of their children being educated by teachers who do not belong to their nationality.

And most of them are destructive toward mixed marriages.

Full text in the ring.