SCANDALOZE: Kurti's office recognises Petkovic as head of the office for “Kosovo and Metohija”

It uses Serbian labels when referring to Kosovo, Metohija “and Metohija”, broadcast Express.

This official communique of the Kurt Office contains the interview the prime minister has made for the BBC in the Serbian language. But the term “

“As a second lead, he cites talks by negotiating teams led by Besnik Bislimi, deputy head of the Kosovo Government and Petar Petkov, head of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija of the Government of Serbia”, writes Kurti's office.

Full communication from the Prime Minister Public Communication Office:

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti, for BBC in Serbian: “

Aleksandar Miladinovic, BBC reporter

August 16, 2022

When last time, shortly after being elected to the post of prime minister, spoke for BBC in Serbian, Albin Kurti put the dialogue with Serbia in fourth place of its priorities.

In the last 18 months, in the streets of northern Kosovo, populated by the Serb community, three times barricades have been set up, two times the crossings have been closed, posters are placed on the license plates, and the replacement of plates for Kosovo cities issued by Serbia is then being postponed, while explosive devices are dropped on Kosovo Police patrols, and this is only a brief description of increased tensions.

If you look at the time you spend, in public it may seem that this issue has been raised to the list of priorities, but I consider that it has essentially not changed the country.

“The jobs, justice and ongoing problems are still there, and neither is the fourth country so bad I deal with a lot of themes”, which means with a light smile the prime minister of Kosovo, while from behind his back looks at Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani's portrait, with which they manage the political processes in Kosovo for almost a year and a half.

On Thursday, August 18th, Albin Kurti expects the meeting in Brussels with Serbia's president, Aleksandar Vuciq.

More than a year has passed since such a recent conversation, though in the meantime negotiators met in another format in May, Berlin.

“is early to say how it will end and what character the appointment will be.

“This meeting was due to be held on 19 July, but the Serbian president has demanded that it be postponed for a month.

Kurti and Vuciq will meet with the mediation of Miroslav Lajcak, the European Union's envoy (BE) for dialogue.

Could the meeting in Brussels be historic?

As we speak five days before the Brussels summit, Albin Kurti has no concrete answer to this question.

“Talks are being held on two tracks and the first is the meeting of leaders where we will have two points: elements of the overall framework of the agreement and current issues, while I believe we will continue with that order.

“These two points are very general, but I hope we will get into more specific themes as the talks develop”.

As a second track, he cites talks by negotiating teams led by Besnik Bislimi, deputy chairman of the Government of Kosovo and Petar Petkovic, head of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija of the Government of Serbia.

“Pica, different” in talks between the two leaders is already defined differently since before entering the meeting.

Belgrade insists on discussing forming Serbian Communists Association (AKS) defined with Brussels Agreement from 2013 and accuses Kosovo authorities of failing to implement it, Pristina stresses that Serbia does not respect recently reached agreements on plates and energy.

Kosovo's prime minister will willingly claim that “with Serbia has reached two agreements and fulfilled both, but Serbia has not fulfilled its” share.

“As far as registration is concerned, Serbia has exceeded the term in April and is now in trouble again. ”

In terms of energy, Kosovo's institutions have registered the Elektrosever company for two days, which had a week to offer us fresh information about users which was not done after even eight weeks”.

The interim agreement on license plates was reached last autumn, while in April its duration was extended for six months until the government's formation in Serbia.

Under that agreement, owners of the plates issued in Serbia cover the citizenship signs with posters when they enter Kosovo, while owners of Kosovo license plates do the same when they enter Serbia.

The latest energy agreement, which has never been fully introduced to the public, concerns issues of control over energy resources in northern Kosovo.

The fee for use of electricity for residents of those municipalities has also been planned to be set since 1999. don't pay electricity bills.

It is interesting that I am asked to continue what my ancestors have done, while Serbia is not pressured to implement what they have agreed with me.

Maybe I'm a difficult negotiator, but what I agree on is fulfilled. ”

Warned that even Christopher Hill, the American ambassador to Belgrade, asked to speak of the AKS, Kurti will initially imagine with smiles that Hill has known 24 years because of the US diplomat's rich experience, who has been involved in Balkan relations issues for many years.

“Hill is a silent mediator between Serbia and Kosovo, so he would not say such a thing before Belgrade asks for it”.

It is interesting that Serbs are not asking for it from Kosovo because they say they need jobs, justice, better economy and most importantly, fighting corruption.

Kosovo's prime minister expects more from the mediator, whose offices he will meet with the Serbian president.

“I believe the EU can be more active and clearer.

“We have the right to expect more from the EU, especially to show more clarity and determination for its positions, especially when it comes to events such as barricades and recent incidents”.

From a powerful decision, through the barricades, to the midnight extension

Kosovo snipers, Serb combat aggression, liquidation of Serbs, barricades built as detentions for shooting, not traffic jams.

The exchange of such verbal assessments between Belgrade and Pristina is the tour of the meeting in Brussels, as a result of last weekend events in July.

The government in Pristina had earlier announced that from August 1st at the border crossings would start issuing in-scaling documents to all who enter Kosovo with Serbian IDs, which Serbia has done in the opposite direction for more than a decade, reasoning this in ignorance of Kosovo documents.

Also, owners of Kosovo city license plates, but issued by Serbia, have been given two months to register those with license plates of the Republic of Kosovo.

A day before the start of implementing these measures, roads in northern Kosovo were blocked, Pristina added police patrols -- in northern Mitrovica populated with Serbs -- were heard with sirens and the media flooded with unverified news for allegedly clashes on the ground.

“There was an obvious lack of intelligence information from various institutions, not just from our state, for what was happening Serbia's aggressiveness towards Kosovo and Belgrade's desire to surprise.

There have also been calls from Brussels to delay the implementation of decisions, but I wanted to assure everyone that I was showing good will towards international partners, not because the public was not sufficiently informed, but because the Belgrade-led fear-encouragement campaign had far more impact than we had thought”, says Kurti.

The crisis was not resolved temporarily with calls from Brussels, but with the arrival of Geoffrey Hovenier, the US ambassador to Kosovo, at an emergency meeting with Kosovo Government shortly before midnight on August 1st.

The US ambassador announced before the media the scenario of removing barricades and delaying Pristina's implementation of measures for a month, even before the Kosovo government officially made the decision.

I don't care how others will see me in terms of independent decision-making, because I believe Kosovo is much more independent than Serbia's Serbia is much more dependent on Russia”.

Even this kind of scenario is a victory for the prime minister of Kosovo.

And one he wants to talk about in the first person.

At midnight I started to issue those documents, and at the border points were issued 2679 I knew that they could not remove the barricades at midnight and released the documents at 7:00, with a time of waiting for only 20 seconds, which is beyond Serbia's grasp.

“Barricades were a very simple example of their supposed reaction that they had prepared before because they knew we'd be very soft and efficient.

Despite claims that he chose a mild and efficient approach, however, Kurti is clear that tensions and fears among Kosovo Serbs have risen to a higher level.

“I do not bear any responsibility for this, it is the consequence of Serbia-led deinformation campaign.

“The campaign was very aggressive, because they knew nothing would happen on August 1st, and because they knew that people would co-operate with the police at the border, they acted preventatively”.

Comparison to the ideal and criticism that helps.

Kurt himself is now acting biasedly.

Waiting for the new deadline for the start of implementation of Kosovo Government measures, in a video published in official communication channels, was directed in the Serbian language, and this is not his first such message.

My anger, speech in the Serbian language and direct communication is conveyed with increased pressure and torture within the Serb community in Kosovo.

There are more and more Serbs co-operating with me, but more and more are exposed to pressure from Serbia”, says Kurti, and sets the example of the resignation of a political adviser from the ranks of the Serb community, just two hours after the appointment.

However, Kurt's communication with Kosovo Serbs also criticised those who are not part of the Serbian List, close to official Belgrade.

Rada Trajkovic, chairman of the European Movement of the Kosovo Serbs, said Serbs are “more interested in the content of the message than in the language in which to address”.

It's very interesting to compare me with some imagined ideal of the perfect politician and freely continue to do that criticism always helps.

“But can you imagine the Serbian president or prime minister speaking in Albanian or in another minority language? ”

Kurt feels that such a view of his role has other messages.

““It's a huge imbalance in expectations of me being very high, while the president of Serbia is very low.

“On the other hand, the lower expectations of the West towards the Serbian president show what they actually think of”.

Therefore, the claim that he has not done everything he could in dealing with the Serb community out of fear of its own reaction and political image within the Albanian community, Kurti will have to absolutely opposite.

It's not about my image, I don't know why you think so.

As someone who knows my political past, you understand that I don't care very much about my image I've been an activist my whole life, talking and living according to ideals”

He claims he's willing to improve relationships.

Even though I don't think people are so scared of the situation in Kosovo, I'm willing to engage in a conversation with anyone who doesn't feel safe, although it's not that easy to fight the aggressive propaganda campaign done in other language media, which is not Albanian.

With people's intimidation campaign, Belgrade may have some success, but you know what the path of dictatorship is from a small victory, through a small victory, to final loss”.