Svechla: On the night of increased tensions, Russia activated, we do not lack the capacity to cope

When we analyze the security situation in the north, we understand that it is not just a recent crisis. Kosovo's north -- that's four municipalities in northern Kosovo -- as the area -- were like a “Black destruction” in rule of the law. This is an area characterized by an extraordinary level of smuggling of goods, where various types of criminal acts have taken place repeatedly and without punishment”, Svechla says.

He recalls that in recent months alone, Kosovo police have discovered five drug labs in the north, as well as the worker for producing Bitcoin that worked “black”.

We stopped ten trucks with smuggled goods, especially goods with excises and faced various criminal groups that were trying to preserve this criminal situation. There's a clear connection between politics and crime, and when I say crime, I mean multinational relationships. So, how many times have we arrested criminal groups, made up of Albanians, Serbs, Bosniaks, both from Kosovo and Serbia”, Svechla points out.

The rule minister adds, however, that it is characteristic that the government of Serbia not only tolerates the cited criminal groups but also supports and exploits them to put additional pressure on the local population.

“Radovicicq enjoys the support of some politicians in Kosovo”

As an example of the link between crime and politics, he singles out the Serbian List's deputy chairman, Milan Radojic, who is in the US “blacklist” and whom Kosovo justice suspects involvement in Oliver's murder. Ivanovic.

“Radoicicic is a person who enjoys public support not only from Serbia but also from some Kosovo political representatives, but at the same time is on the US blacklist because of his participation in organised crime. We have much evidence that, among other things, he recently entered Kosovo illegally. We have statements from Serbian List officials who have said Radojciq was at the barricades on July 31st and August 1st and that he was the organiser and defender of these barricades. That means we have enough evidence for his criminal activities”, Svechla says.

The issue, he says, is that there is a complete lack of co-operation between authorities in Belgrade and the Government of Kosovo to bring Radociqi to justice.

“To make things even worse, he (Radoicicic) enjoys the direct support of Serbia's president”, Svechla says.

Asked by N1 how Radoiciqi enters Kosovo, Svecla answers: “we have a long line of border with Serbia and individuals, especially those linked to these groups that smuggle goods, transition from Serbia to Kosovo or from Kosovo to Serbia has been eased. We've managed to reduce the minimum smuggling of goods in trucks, but the illegal passage is, I think, relatively easy”.

He added that people in northern Kosovo are largely peaceful and want to live with their work, but that there is a problem “in certain criminal groups and Serbia's political agenda and Serbia's Kosovo exhibits”.

We need to understand one thing, that area was like El Dorado for criminals. We have criminals who have become multimillionrs from the middle or poor class, thanks to the criminal activity that has been tolerated in that area for more than 20 years. I've got dozens, if not hundreds,= complaints from citizens there, who were under pressure from criminal groups. It's not that criminal groups just want to get rich, but with their arrogant and banditist behavior, they are an obstacle to normal life there. Therefore, our attempt is to establish legitimacy there”, he said.

“Nothing Serbia does in Kosovo is at odds with Russia”

Referring to the Kosovo ban on entry by Russian journalist Daria Aslamova, Svechla said she has been the target of assessments by security institutions even before arrival in Kosovo.

It is known that it is part of the Russian intelligent service, a person who has been declared non grata people in Ukraine, Moldova and Turkey. Its ties with Russian policy exhibits are known. Therefore, it is based on many other information, and I think it has been a legitimate and correct decision of Kosovo institutions, that this person is unacceptable to Kosovo”, he said.

He has also estimated that nothing Serbia is doing in terms of Kosovo is in conflict with Russian authorities, with the Russian ambassador and their military attachés Express.

“Now we have an active propagandistic fight for Kosovo. On the night of mounting tensions, between July 31st and August 1st, this propaganda campaign of false news came from Moscow, Belgrade and around like northern Mitrovica. By contrast, false news caused confusion, and this complicated the situation even more, but showed also plans that the Russians or pro-exectors in Belgrade”, Svecla praised.

He has also stressed that in recent months, 14 attacks have been recorded in northern Kosovo, ten of them against the Kosovo Police.

“osminated even during current tensions, where people in camouflage and armed uniforms directly attacked Kosovo police and other citizens. We have 11 citizens who were accidentally on those streets and were beaten by these groups. We have one family returning to Switzerland, or another going to Serbia, or a Roma family being mistreated by these groups. We have drivers who have been taken away from cars and trucks and then beaten”, Svechla points out.

Svecla also said the decision to issue an additional document on the occasion of entry into Kosovo does not mean that Serbian citizens would be removed the documents, but would be given an additional letter, as he said, an extremely short procedure.

A procedure that lasts three, four seconds longer than actual procedures and that document will be valid in 90 days. What is so tragic that they have a difficult situation”, Svechla asked.

Speaking of the plates, he thought there were two agreements from Brussels between 2011 and 2016.

Some citizens have recently changed plates from illegal RKS. But some of them refused to do so remained. We as governments have decided to give these citizens an additional opportunity to switch from cars with illegal license plates to those with legal plates with no financial burdens and simple procedures. Without customs, without taxes, without taxing on added value, without these usual formalities required, we wanted to help replace license plates”, Svechla said.

He said what citizens must do is that after September 1st they go to the census centre with existing documentation, hand over the old plates and get new ones.

According to him, there are between eight and nine thousand former Yugoslav license vehicles in Kosovo, or KM, PR, EP and similar.

“Paradox or the completely unintelligible situation is how another country can issue license plates to cities in another country and wait for that country to accept them. How this once happened is an issue for discussion, but now we have a legal and legitimate decision. We had talks in Brussels, and for that, we have statements from EU authorities and other countries that Kosovo has done everything to overcome this task”, Svechla claims.

He also stressed that cars with Serbian license plates cannot move through Kosovo and that it is incomprehensible why someone would like to keep license plates restricting their movement, when they can receive plates that “enable freedom of movement, not only in Kosovo, without any additional payment, but also at around”.

The issue of license plates and documents, Svecla underlined, are not the subject of discussions with the Serbian side.

For example, what would I like? I wish we had no access papers. But Serbia has been eyeing citizens of the Republic of Kosovo for 11 years, allowing them to wait for hours to equip, even on an additional fee. On that day, when we issued more than 6,000 access documents, we showed that the whole process is 20 seconds long. We as a government want this documentation not to be from our government or from the Serbian government. But that depends on Serbian authorities”, he said.

Svechla also said that Kosovo is willing to remove the delivery of entry documents, as well as all other barriers, when Kosovo citizens are treated in the same democratic and fair manner as the citizens of Serbia who enter Kosovo are treated.

“Kosovo is an independent and sovereign state, and according to international estimates is among the most democratic states in the region and all decisions will be made in the best interest of its citizens, all its citizens, regardless of ethnicity”, he said, adding that there is no reason for tensions.

“We are convinced that Serbian authorities should start acting responsibly. The problematic approach of Serbian authorities is much broader than these two decisions of the Kosovo government and this approach should be radically changed”, he said.

He also said that Kosovo does not want tensions, but respect of the rule and law, which, he added, is in the best interest of all Kosovo citizens, as well as of the entire region, and of Serbia itself.

But as I said before, yes, we're concerned, but we're not afraid and we don't lack the capacity to cope with this”, Svechla concluded.